A 20-year-old man who participated in a violent mob robbery aboard a CTA train has been sentenced to five years in prison, though he could be released in as little as 18 months.
In addition to pleading guilty to three counts of robbery, Jovan Edwards also pleaded guilty to possessing a stolen motor vehicle, a case for which he was on pretrial release at the time of the muggings. Cook County Judge Natosha Toller handed him five-year sentences to be served concurrently.
Officials said Edwards and seven juveniles attacked and robbed a group of teenagers on a Red Line train in the Loop last January. Edwards had been on pretrial release for the stolen motor vehicle case for just 19 days when he allegedly participated in the mob attack, records show.
Police said Edwards and his accomplices approached three boys, a 15-year-old and two 16-year-olds, on a train near Roosevelt. One member of the group implied they had a gun and demanded the victims’ valuables, according to prosecutors. The group then attacked the victims.
Prosecutors said in a detention petition that Edwards robbed one of the 16-year-olds of his belt, then ordered the boy to remove his pants. After the boy complied, Edwards allegedly whipped him with the belt. Edwards also punched the victim in the face and body, prosecutors said.
The victims exited the train to seek help, but the attackers continued riding until they reached the Fullerton stop. Officers who had been following signals from one of the victims’ stolen phones were waiting when they arrived. Some suspects were arrested at the station, while others were located a block away after police followed a second stolen phone’s GPS signals.
When police arrested Edwards, he had a belt in his pocket along with a phone belonging to the boy who was whipped, according to a CPD report. Prosecutors said Edwards had also transferred money from the boy’s CashApp account to his own.
Seven juveniles were also charged with robbery, but the outcomes of their cases are not available because juvenile records are shielded from public review.
Police and court records show Edwards was arrested on January 9, 2025, after officers found him with a stolen SUV at a West Pullman gas station. A CPD report said the vehicle had been stolen two days earlier from a man who left it unattended while it warmed up.
Officers found the car at the gas station with three boys, all between 14 and 16, in the back seat. Edwards was inside the station’s convenience store when officers arrived. Police said he told them he had “nothing to do with that car.” However, surveillance video from the business showed Edwards drove the car to the station, the report said.
With credit for 365 days already served in jail and Illinois’ standard 50% sentence reduction for good behavior, Edwards is expected to be released in about 18 months.
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