Bodycam Shows K-9, Deputies Apprehend Suspect In Frankfort, Matteson Armed Robberies

FRANKFORT, IL — After armed robberies at a Speedway gas station in Frankfort Township and Matteson White Castle, a man was taken into custody on Saturday with the assistance of several police agencies, the Will County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Will County deputies responded to an armed robbery report at 6:42 a.m. at Speedway in the 7200 block of West Lincoln Highway. The sheriff's office said an employee told police that a man wearing a face mask, gloves and a sweatshirt entered the store and demanded money from the register. The man was holding a black and silver handgun, police said.

Subscribe

The sheriff's office said the employee hit a hidden panic button and walked to the back room to another employee, where they stayed until the suspect left. No injuries were reported.

The suspect grabbed some liquor bottles and an inventory computer before he left the gas station and got into a silver/blue Jeep where another person was waiting, the sheriff's office said.

Deputies were at the gas station when dispatch was notified that a similar vehicle was involved in a robbery at a Matteson White Castle, and police had chased the vehicle to I-80 and I-57. The driver and passenger had fled on foot into a wooded area, the sheriff's office said.

Will County deputies relocated to the area and saw the silver/blue Jeep with its door open on I-80 near the I-57 overpass, according to police. An officer approved the vehicle and saw a silver and black handgun on the floorboard of the front passenger side, the sheriff's office said.

Will County Sheriff’s Office Units assisted in the search for the suspects, using a K-9 unit and holding perimeter security.

The sheriff's office said K-9 Copper and his handler started a track, and deputies found one suspect sitting up against a tree. The man didn't comply with demands to exit the wooded area, and officers grabbed him and placed him in handcuffs, the sheriff's office said.

The second suspect was found by Country Club Hills Police in a parking lot. According to the sheriff's office, that suspect was reported to be breathing heavily and was shirtless with muddy shoes.

Charges are pending in the Will County Speedway robbery case, the sheriff's office said.