A man is accused of robbing a Rogers Park convenience store less than six hours after police released him from custody for allegedly stealing an ambulance just a few blocks away. And prosecutors say he was already on probation for robbing yet another store in the neighborhood.
According to police and court filings, the chain of events began on the evening of August 21, when an Elite Ambulance crew was picking up a patient at 7350 North Sheridan Road. The crew left the vehicle running with its keys in the ignition and — you guessed it — when they returned, the ambulance was gone.
Using the ambulance’s onboard video system, workers saw a man driving the rig southbound on Sheridan Road. Chicago police tracked the ambulance through GPS pings and found it parked in the 6300 block of North Sheridan. Officers arrested 50-year-old Brandon Burt, who was allegedly in the driver’s seat. The vehicle was not damaged.
After being advised of his rights, police say, Burt admitted, “I drove an ambulance… I drove it to my mom’s.”
But despite the seriousness of the allegation, police could only charge him with misdemeanor trespassing. Why? According to Burt’s arrest report, Elite did not have the surveillance footage “readily available” for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Burt remained in custody for 21 hours but was released from the Rogers Park (24th) District station at 6:09 p.m. on August 22.
Within hours, prosecutors say, he struck again.
At 11:50 p.m. that night, Burt allegedly entered a store in the 7300 block of North Greenview Avenue, walked behind the counter, and grabbed about $800 in cash. A 50-year-old clerk tried to intervene, but prosecutors said Burt punched him in the head and face, knocking him unconscious. The victim regained consciousness and tried again to stop Burt with a large stick, but he escaped, according to prosecutors.
The next afternoon, on August 23, the clerk spotted Burt outside the store and called 911. Police arrested him. Again.
In court, prosecutors noted Burt is currently serving probation for a 2022 robbery of a store in the 7500 block of North Rogers Avenue. Judge Ankur Srivastava granted the state’s detention petition, ordering Burt held in custody pending trial on the new robbery charge.
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