A suburban man who tried to rob an Uber driver at gunpoint ended up being disarmed by another motorist after the robbery attempt caused the rideshare driver to crash in northwest suburban Roselle, officials said.
Nicholas Phillips, 31, is now detained on charges including attempted armed robbery and possession of a weapon by a felon, according to DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin.
Just before 11 p.m. on August 9, Roselle police officers responded to a crash in the 600 block of West Lake Street involving a 2023 Nissan and a 2023 Kia, officials said. Officers found both vehicles unoccupied, but inside the Kia they saw a bullet on the rear passenger floorboard and a phone on the front passenger seat.
Police eventually determined that the Kia belonged to an Uber driver who picked up Phillips at his home around 10:27 p.m. A short time later, Phillips told the driver to turn back. When the driver stopped to show Phillips the destination the app had given him, Phillips allegedly pulled out a gun and again told the victim to turn back.
Phillips then told the driver to give him money, prosecutors said. But the victim didn’t have any and Phillips allegedly struck him in the head with the firearm. Prosecutors said the victim pulled into a gas station and tried to escape, but he couldn’t get away because Phillips was holding onto him, threatening to shoot him.
While the two were in the car, Phillips allegedly grabbed the victim’s hand, causing the Kia to crash into the Nissan. After the crash, the Uber driver exited the car and Phillips chased him around the vehicle twice before the victim was able to get away, prosecutors said.
Phillips then approached the driver of the Nissan, reached for his waistband and said, “I got a gun.” Phillips and the Nissan driver got into a fight, during which the Nissan’s driver disarmed Phillips and tossed the gun, prompting Phillips to run away, according to the allegations. Hanover Park police officers arrested Phillips at his home shortly thereafter.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
