Two suspects armed with guns ran up to a victim who was exiting a home in Zion and ordered him to empty his pockets while threatening to shoot him, prosecutors said.
Marcus Smith, 19, of Zion, and Trashaun King, 18, of Round Lake, were both charged with attempted armed robbery, a Class 1 felony.
The Zion Police Department responded around 4:30 p.m. on July 5 to the 2100 block of Hebron Avenue for a report of a disturbance.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Cannon said the 911 caller reported three male suspects ran up to the home with guns.
Officers spoke to a victim who reported that the three suspects ran towards him as he was exiting the residence.
Two of the men had guns drawn while the third suspect stood by.
They demanded money and told him to empty his pockets. One of the suspects said, “We will pop your [expletive].”
A witness had parked her car waiting for the victim when she saw the robbery unfold and drove away while calling 911.
The victim ran away from the suspects toward the alley. The suspects got into a stolen Kia and fled.
A second witness also corroborated the victim’s account of the incident.
Two of the three suspects were later identified as Smith and King in a photo lineup as the two men who pointed guns at him during the robbery.
The two, along with a third subject, were spotted fleeing from the stolen Kia after it caught fire in the 42400 block of North Route 41 in Wadsworth around 11:45 p.m. that same day, according to Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.
A deputy saw three individuals, matching the description of the subjects, quickly get into an SUV that arrived near the scene.
Sheriff’s deputies determined the SUV was being used as a rideshare and they conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, Covelli said.
Covelli said deputies determined King and Smith, along with the third man, were in possession of loaded firearms. They are not legally allowed to possess the weapons.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed petitions to detain Smith and King pending trial.
Those petitions were granted by Lake County Judge Charles Johnson last week.
The judge called King’s criminal history “impressive” but “not impressive in a good way” for someone who is only 18.
Johnson also referenced Smith’s criminal history as being “not good” for someone who is only 19.