ATM burglary crew busted after crashing outside Cook County Jail, but one suspect briefly escaped in a deputy’s squad car – CWB Chicago

A crash-and-grab housebreaking crew broke right into a South Aspect gasoline station earlier than daybreak, ripped out the Bitcoin machine, loaded it into an SUV, realized that they had made a horrible mistake, after which went again inside and grabbed the ATM as a substitute. Prosecutors say that chain of choices ultimately led one among them to steal a Prepare dinner County sheriff’s deputy’s patrol automotive proper exterior the Prepare dinner County Jail and race it down the Dan Ryan Expressway at 115 mph.

Charles Castleberry, 22, Rakan Eid, 21, Jemel Maple, 23, and Lashon Williams, 25, face housebreaking fees after an almost two-hour crime spree detailed in court docket filings. Castleberry faces further fees, together with aggravated possession of a stolen motorcar and aggravated fleeing. Maple and Williams are additionally charged with illegal use of a weapon by a felon. Decide James Murphy detained all 4 males.

It started at 5:51 a.m. on Could 16 on the SNK Fuels gasoline station at 2807 West 71st Avenue, in accordance with prosecutors. Two stolen Jeeps pulled into the lot and one among them rammed the station wall repeatedly till it punched by way of. Eid, Maple, and Castleberry climbed out of the second Jeep, entered by way of the outlet, and loaded a Bitcoin machine into their SUV, prosecutors declare.

Then they stopped, apparently realizing that they had grabbed a cryptocurrency machine quite than a money ATM. In order that they unloaded it, went again inside, took the ATM, put it within the Jeep, and drove off, prosecutors mentioned. They left the ramming car behind, a car that had been reported stolen per week earlier in Streeterville.

Lower than 90 minutes later, the Jeep arrived on the BP station at 2800 West fifty fifth Avenue. Eid and Maple allegedly walked in by way of the entrance door and took turns attempting to pry the ATM off the wall. Prosecutors say Williams joined them inside, however the ATM wouldn’t budge, so he went again to the Jeep, and returned with an electrical noticed, which he and Castleberry took turns utilizing to attempt to lower into the money machine.

For 5 minutes, because the clerk hid and known as 911, they allegedly sawed on the machine to no avail. Prosecutors say they fled simply as the primary officer arrived.

That officer pursued the Jeep, with Castleberry on the wheel, for roughly eight minutes earlier than it crashed right into a utility pole exterior the Prepare dinner County Jail at California and thirty first Avenue. All 4 males jumped out and ran. CPD and a Prepare dinner County sheriff’s deputy assigned to patrol the jail perimeter rounded up Eid, Maple, and Williams.

Castleberry supposedly discovered one other approach out. Prosecutors say he jumped behind the wheel of the deputy’s patrol automotive and, regardless of efforts by the police to tug him out, drove away.

Prosecutors mentioned Castleberry reached 115 mph in a forty five mph zone, made it to the Dan Ryan, after which blew by way of the management arm of a Skyway tollbooth with out slowing down. Then, he allegedly circled again towards the town and blew by way of a second tollbooth arm earlier than returning to floor streets. Illinois State Police troopers ultimately deployed spike strips close to 87th and Ingleside, slowing the squad automotive sufficient for a trooper to execute a PIT maneuver, spinning it out.

Again on the crash scene close to the jail, police recovered three firearms, an electrical noticed, a number of thousand {dollars} in money, and a damaged piece of plexiglass bearing the letters “ATM.”