7-Eleven Robber Takes Cash and Cigs at Knifepoint: Police

Chris E. Bauer, 31, of Joliet | Oak Lawn Police Department

A Joliet man is being held on an armed robbery charge after police said he stole money and cigarettes from a convenience store early Tuesday morning.

Oak Lawn police responded to the 7-Eleven store at 10441 S. Cicero Ave. around 1:37 a.m. for a reported armed robbery. When they arrived, officers learned that a short white male around 30 years old wearing a grey sweatshirt, khaki pants and a gray skull cap, entered 7-Eleven and walked to the back of the store.

The man, later identified as Chris E. Bauer, 31, pulled out a knife and demanded money from the cash register and cigarettes. The employee complied and Bauer fled the area in a gray van, police said in a news release.

Officers broadcasted a description of the alleged robber. A short time later, Alsip police located a van occupied by a man who matched the description released by Oak Lawn police, parked in the 12100 block of South Cicero Avenue, Alsip.

Further investigation revealed that Bauer had cigarette packs matching those taken from the 7-Eleven, cash from the store, and a knife that matched the description of the one used in the robbery in Bauer’s possession, police said.

The employee was able to positively identify Bauer and his van as the one she saw fleeing the parking lot, according to the news release.

Bail was set at $250,000. Bauer’s listed address is the 1100 block of Alaan Drive, Joliet. He is due in court April 5 in Bridgeview.