A 19-year-old Chicago man is accused of going on a monthlong stickup spree that targeted six businesses from Jefferson Park to Beverly before he was arrested on a CTA bus with a loaded handgun. CPD issued a community alert about the robbery pattern last month.
Prosecutors say Eduardo Carmona’s spree began at 5:18 a.m. on August 9, when he allegedly robbed a store in the 3900 block of South Archer Avenue in Brighton Park. Over the next three weeks, he allegedly hit five more businesses, all 7-Eleven convenience stores, scattered across the city.
Police say Carmona robbed a 7-Eleven at 6000 West Higgins Avenue in Jefferson Park just before noon on August 19, then struck again less than two hours later at another 7-Eleven on North Damen in Bucktown, where he allegedly stole $200.
On August 26, prosecutors say, he robbed a Montclare 7-Eleven at 2759 North Harlem, taking $293 and two bottles of alcohol. Days later, he allegedly headed 25 miles south to Beverly and robbed a store in the 2400 block of West 103rd Street, getting away with just $60.
But his September 4th holdup in Irving Park would be his last. Prosecutors said he robbed the 7-Eleven at 4346 North Kimball Avenue and walked away with about $100.
Within minutes, a CPD task force began monitoring CTA buses along 47th Street, where they believed the robber frequently traveled, a police report said. Less than two hours after the Irving Park robbery, officers spotted Carmona riding a bus in the 600 block of East 47th Street. They stopped him, confirmed his identity, and arrested him, according to the report.
Prosecutors said Carmona had a loaded 9mm handgun with an extended magazine in his bag as he rode the bus.
Carmona is charged with six counts of robbery and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. Judge James Murphy III ordered him detained pending trial.
