CHICAGO — Robbing a casino looks easy in the movies. In real life, it’s a little trickier.
Over the weekend, prosecutors charged a suburban Chicago man with armed robbery, saying he took about $14,000 worth of chips at gunpoint from a dealer at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines.
Ismail Ateyat, 23, of Chicago Ridge, was detained to await trial by Judge Susana Ortiz during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on Sunday afternoon, according to court records.
Ateyat, a “known regular,” walked into the casino around 3 p.m. on Halloween and grabbed stacks of chips while pointing a gun at a dealer, prosecutors said in their detention petition. With about $14,000 worth of chips in hand, Ateyat headed for the exit, pointing the gun at two security guards as he fled, according to the petition.
Judge Ortiz noted in her detention order that police found casino chips at Ateyat’s home, and the robbery was caught on video.
He is charged with three counts of armed robbery.
It’s been an interesting month at Rivers, which is easily the state’s most lucrative casino.
A person was accidentally shot in the casino parking lot by someone who mishandled a firearm over the weekend.
On October 21, two casino customers were robbed at gunpoint as they returned to their vehicles.
On Sunday, October 8, a man was robbed in the casino parking lot as he walked to his car around 12:50 a.m., according to a second Des Plaines police report. A group of men displayed guns, took the man’s wallet, and escaped in a dark-colored SUV.
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