A man allegedly robbed a juvenile while holding a gun to his head near an elementary school in Zion and ordered him to take his clothes off before stealing his belongings, prosecutors said.
Darrion K. Gibson, 20, of Zion, was charged with armed robbery while armed with a firearm, a Class X felony, and aggravated robbery, a Class 1 felony.
The Zion Police Department responded around 9:30 p.m. on May 15 to a report of a delayed armed robbery.
Officers learned a juvenile was hanging out with his girlfriend at the basketball courts at Elmwood Elementary School, according to Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Theis.
The boy walked her home on Ezra Avenue just before 9 p.m.
When he was near Ezra Avenue and 31st Street, two subjects, one of them later identified as Gibson, approached him on foot after they crossed the street, Theis said.
Theis said Gibson, who was wearing all black and a face mask, pointed a handgun with a laser sight and flashlight activated directly into the victim’s face.
Gibson demanded the boy’s belongings and ordered him to remove his clothing, Theis said.
Theis said Gibson stole an Apple iPhone, a black and white letterman-style jacket, an Apple AirPods case and an Adidas backpack.
Gibson pulled his face mask down at one point during the robbery and the victim recognized him as a former friend, Theis said.
Theis said Gibson and the second subject he was accompanied by, who was a juvenile, both fled eastbound in front of Elmwood Elementary School.
The victim went to a friend’s house and the friend’s mother called 911 to report the armed robbery.
Video surveillance recovered captured the robbery and a photo lineup was conducted which led to the victim positively identifying Gibson as the primary suspect.
Theis said Gibson committed the robbery because he claimed the victim had previously threatened to kill him.
Theis called Gibson a dangerous person and said the man tracked down the victim and conducted the armed robbery in front of an elementary school, which is in a residential area.
A public defender for Gibson said his client denies the allegations and maintains his innocence.
Court records show Gibson has two other pending cases in Lake County which include charges of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, possession of a stolen vehicle and aggravated fleeing to elude.
Gibson has been held in the Lake County Jail since June 1 after his pre-trial release was revoked in one of those cases.
A detention hearing was held for his new armed robbery case on July 24 and a judge ordered him detained pending trial on those charges.