Teen Made Fake Police Report To Distract From Robbery: Cops

LAKE COUNTY, IL — Mundelein police have linked a "swatting call" at a pizza restaurant with a FedEx truck robbery, according to a report. Police received a report Thursday about a man with a handgun stealing money from the restaurant, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Officers were called to Rosati's Pizza around 10:43 a.m. Thursday, and surrounded the restaurant at 3110 W. Route 60.

But the call reportedly ended up being false, and Mundelein police believe it was likely an attempt to lure officers away from an actual robbery that occurred, according to the Tribune. Two men robbed a FedEx Driver in the 100 block of Washington Boulevard around the same time, police said.

An officer was at the scene of the real robbery awaiting a tow truck for the suspects' car, when the call about the pizzeria came through, and the officer was instructed to stay at the scene, the Tribune reported. A 16-year-old then approached the patrol car, showed a pair of keys, and claimed the car belonged to his brother, police said.

“Fortunately, there was an officer on scene that put two-and-two together and asked the right questions that yielded the wrong answers and allowed for probable cause to detain the person,” Mundelein Deputy Police Chief John Monahan told the Tribune.

After obtaining a search warrant for the 16-year-old's cell phone, police said they discovered a 911 call was placed at the same time as the fake pizzeria robbery call.

Terence A. James, 18, of the 10700 South Normal Avenue, Chicago, and Rashawn R. Jacox, 19, of the 400 block of 172nd Place, Chicago, were each charged with felony counts of robbery. The 16-year-old was charged with a felony count of disorderly conduct.

Read the full Chicago Tribune report here.

Images via Mundelein Police Department