CHICAGO — The third and fourth members of a prolific armed robbery crew that ran havoc across the city in the winter of 2022 have pleaded guilty to their roles in the crime wave. Like two co-defendants who pleaded guilty before them, they received ten-year sentences.
The judge who first heard about the allegations during a bond hearing characterized their work as “an unmitigated crime spree … robbery after robbery after robbery after robbery.”
Prosecutors said the group consistently used the same tactic during the December 11–12, 2022, spree: they boxed in someone who was sitting in a parked car, swarmed the victim with guns drawn, and took valuables. Three of the victims were warming up their vehicles as they prepared to go to work. Another had just parked when the crew spotted them.
Early on December 12, the crew robbed a 42-year-old man who was in his car in the 4300 block of North Leavitt. Four men pulled up in a silver sedan and robbed him of his phone and wallet at gunpoint.
Three men robbed a 20-year-old man at gunpoint in the 2400 block of West Berwyn in Lincoln Square moments later. The offenders rifled through the man’s car and then escaped in a silver vehicle. That crime was caught on video. Watch:
Minutes later, three armed men robbed a man who was unloading his vehicle in the 3100 block of West Leland. One of the robbers punched the victim in the face before the group fled in a silver sedan.
Four other robberies resulted in charges: two in quick succession in the 2100 block of North Claremont, one in the 410 block of North Wolcott, and another in the 1100 block of West 31st Street.
Several similar holdups occurred while the spree unfolded, but none resulted in criminal charges. Dozens of similar robberies were reported in the days before the men were arrested, but those were never prosecuted, either.
Marcus Carter, 22, pleaded guilty to seven counts of robbery before Judge Tyria Walton on Wednesday. She sentenced him to ten years on each count to be served concurrently. Dashun McGraw, 21, entered a similar plea last month and received the same sentence from Walton. Marquise Green and Marchello Hicks, both 22, each pleaded guilty to seven counts of robbery earlier this year. They received identical sentences from Walton.
All four men will receive credit for time spent in jail and a 50% sentence reduction for good behavior.
