Chicago police have charged an 18-year-old man in connection with one of ten armed robberies targeting construction workers on the city’s South Side between January and April of this year. CPD issued four community alerts during that period, including video footage of a suspect from one of the crime scenes.
Dontrell Davis faces charges related to an April 11 robbery in the 7600 block of South Marshfield. The incident occurred around 11:24 a.m., when four construction workers reported a masked, armed man forced them into a garage, held them at gunpoint, and stole their wallets.
A CPD document states that surveillance video showed Davis in the area of the construction site before the robbery. Investigators identified him as a suspect after reviewing his Facebook page, which allegedly contained images of him wearing clothing matching the robber’s and posing with firearms.
Investigators recently arrested Davis at his home and allegedly found a firearm on the floor of a closet.
Davis denied involvement, claiming he was “getting drunk and high in California” at the time of the robbery, the CPD document said. He told detectives that the firearm in his social media photos was a prop and the clothes he wore in those photos were common.
When detectives asked Davis why his phone would ping at the robbery scene, he informed them that he had lost his phone, the document said.
Prosecutors, however, proceeded with robbery and kidnapping charges, noting Davis’s history of juvenile adjudications for violent crimes and his status on pretrial release for a separate case at the time of the robbery, according to court records.
Judge Deidre Dyer ordered Davis detained pending trial.
The other nine robberies linked to the crime pattern remain unsolved, with no charges filed. CPD reported these incidents occurred in the:
- 7800 block of South Honore St. on January 18, 2025, at 7:52 a.m.
- 1800 block of West 78th St. on January 24, 2025, at 7:37 p.m.
- 1600 block of West 79th St. on February 10, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.
- 7700 block of South Wood St. on February 22, 2025, at 10:02 a.m.
- 7700 block of South Paulina on March 12, 2025, at 10:10 a.m.
- 8000 block of South Wood on March 19, 2025, at 2:50 p.m.
- 1700 block of West 77th St. on April 1, 2025, at 9:05 a.m.
- 7700 block of South Hermitage on April 10, 2025, at 9:31 a.m.
- 7800 block of South Hermitage Ave. on April 11, 2025, at 5:30 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing, and CPD encourages anyone with information to contact Area Two detectives at 312-747-8273.
