Four charged after armed raid on Illinois gaming cafe machines
Police allege a Chicago-area gang smashed video gaming terminals at an Addison cafe and fled with nearly $14,000, sparking a chase that topped 100mph before four arrests.
Four men from the Chicago area face multiple felony charges over an armed break-in at a suburban gambling cafe that ended in a high-speed police pursuit, according to Casino.org News.
Prosecutors allege the group broke into Maria's Gaming Cafe in Addison, Illinois, in the early hours of October 29, using sledgehammers and a crowbar to force their way in and smash open video gaming machines. The raid lasted roughly two minutes but caused more than $100,000 in damage, Casino.org News reported.
Prosecutors brought the charges on October 30 against four defendants: Keonte Adams, 20; Dajuan Johnson, 24; Kyronte McCondichie, 20; and Daryl Nesbit, 19. The counts filed against them span armed violence, burglary, possessing stolen vehicles, and fleeing and eluding police with aggravating factors.
Addison police and other DuPage County agencies had been watching the area following a string of burglaries targeting gambling businesses across the Chicago region. At around 4:32am they spotted a black Dodge Durango and a white BMW, both reported stolen, travelling together on Lake Street before backing into parking spaces outside the cafe.
Five people, four of them armed, are said to have forced their way inside and broken open the machines before emptying them of cash. The total taken came to $13,847, and the cafe had previously been targeted by burglars once since May, according to ABC7 Chicago, as cited by Casino.org News.
The BMW struck police spike strips during the getaway, forcing its three occupants to abandon the car and pile into the Durango, which then carried eight people. Officers pursued the SUV through several western Chicago suburbs at speeds exceeding 100mph.
A second deployment of spike strips, this time close to Interstate 290 in Bellwood, brought the Durango to a stop. Those inside then ran on foot over the expressway, and police had to shut down traffic lanes temporarily while they searched the surrounding neighbourhood.
A multi-agency operation involving police dogs and drones led to four arrests. It remains unclear whether any other members of the group have since been detained.
Investigators recovered two Glock handguns from the Durango, one fitted with an automatic-fire conversion device, along with a loaded Zastava AK-style rifle. Two further firearms and burglary tools were found in the abandoned BMW.
A DuPage County judge has ordered all four defendants held pending trial. They are due back in court on November 23.