Two suspects were arrested after authorities say one of them robbed a convenience store in Beach Park at gunpoint for cash and products while the other acted as the getaway driver.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded around 11:35 a.m. on April 20 to the Quick Stop Food and Liquor, 37737 North Green Bay Road in Beach Park, for a report of an armed robbery that just occurred.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the convenience store and spoke to the store clerk, who was uninjured.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Dino Katris said a man, later identified as Bryan Campos, 26, of Waukegan, entered the store and went into the bathroom.
The female clerk realized Campos was in the bathroom for a while and told him he had to leave.
Katris said Campos exited the bathroom and pulled out a handgun while demanding money from the cash register.
The clerk placed $600-$700 into a bag and handed it to Campos.
Campos placed the cash and then $1,000 in vape products into a garbage bin before fleeing, Katris said.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said a sheriff’s canine team responded and tracked the scent of the suspect.
The scent ended at the dead end of a roadway, indicating the offender likely entered a vehicle, Covelli said.
The suspect was wearing a face covering, yellow coat, tan pants and gloves.
Surveillance video captured Campos exiting the store and getting into a pickup truck that arrived to pick him up, Katris said.
Investigators used the Flock camera system to track the suspect vehicle, which was later located at a home in Waukegan.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division gathered enough evidence to obtain a search warrant for Campos’ residence on April 21.
Detectives found the hat, jacket, pants and face covering worn by Campos during the robbery.
An arrest warrant was obtained for Campos for aggravated robbery. He was arrested by the Waukegan Police Department on Sunday and found in possession of a gun.
Sheriff’s detectives also determined Caden Hernandez, 21, of Waukegan, was the getaway driver for Campos during the robbery, Covelli said.
Katris said Hernandez admitted to driving Campos and a female juvenile, who was later reported missing by her mother, to the Quick Stop on the day of the robbery.
Hernandez told investigators that Campos exited the vehicle before later returning with the garbage bin that contained the cash and stolen products, Katris said.
Hernandez was arrested by detectives on April 21 and the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved the charge of aiding a fugitive.
Hernandez was given pre-trial release and is scheduled to appear in court again on Thursday.
The state’s attorney’s office upgraded the charges for Campos from aggravated robbery to armed robbery, a Class X felony, following his arrest. They also filed a petition to detain him pending trial.
Campos is currently on parole for a residential burglary out of Cook County. He was released from prison in February after serving part of a 49-month sentence.
Campos has a prior conviction for a gun case in Cook County. He also has warrants for home invasion and larceny out of Michigan.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak granted the petition during a detention hearing Monday afternoon.
Campos is scheduled to appear in court again on June 4 for a preliminary hearing.