A man who thought it was a good idea to rob someone during a Facebook Marketplace meetup in a Chicago police station parking lot (and then made the even stranger choice to try to escape by running into the police station lobby) has been sentenced to probation.
Phillip Shockley, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery in exchange for the 24-month term from Judge Carol Howard. She also ordered him to perform 45 hours of community service, get his GED, and demonstrate a “good faith effort” at maintaining employment.
Shockley’s questionable decisions began just before noon on February 6, when he arranged to buy a $3,000 Audemars Piguet watch from a 19-year-old man through Facebook Marketplace. The meeting spot? The parking lot of the Austin (15th) District police station at 5701 West Madison Street. Police stations are popular spots for completing social media deals because the location should reduce the chance of being robbed.
But prosecutors said Shockley decided to test that theory. As soon as the seller showed him the watch, Shockley shoved him twice, struck a fighting pose, and reached toward his waistband as if he had a weapon, prosecutors claimed. The victim shouted for help, which was close at hand since he was standing in a police station parking lot.
Rather than running down Madison Street or diving into a getaway car, Shockley sprinted into the police station’s front door and straight into the loving arms of Chicago cops, officials said.
That wasn’t the end of the surprises: When a sergeant noticed a suspicious bulge in Shockley’s underwear during a lockup search, he asked Shockley to remove it. It was an Audemars Piguet watch, white and gold, glittering with stones, and covered in Shockley’s humiliation.
Court records show Shockly previously completed probation successfully for a 2019 theft case. This time, Judge Howard gave him probation again.
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