Highwood Armed Robbery: Cops Tracked Stolen Phone, Suspect Scent

HIGHWOOD, IL — The armed robbery of two senior citizens in downtown Highwood two weekends ago took place at the Highwood Library's parking lot according to police records obtained by Patch. Around 7:45 p.m. on Jan. 13, police received a call from a bystander that two older women had been robbed at gunpoint near the lot at 102 Highwood Ave.

One of the victims, aged 83 and 85, had been pushed to the ground by the robber, who grabbed their purses and ran away west, according to police. The gunman was described as a 6-foot, 2-inch black man wearing a hat and dark clothing.

A K9 unit from the Zion Police Department was called in to help officers look for the robber, according to police reports. The dog picked up a scent and tracked it through Everts Park to Palmer Avenue, where it lost the trail.

Within a couple of hours, police got emergency permission to search for on of the victims stolen cell phones, which they were able to track to the vicinity of a cellular tower near Skokie Highway and Half Day Road in Highland Park, records show.

"We're working with another police department that we think may have a similar situation or two, and they may be the same individuals involved," Highwood Police Chief Dave Wentz said Tuesday. "We're working very closely with them and we may be making progress."

Wentz declined to say which other local department was involved in the investigation. He also declined to confirm the time the downtown armed robbery occurred.

"I don't want people to be afraid to go out at 6:42 or 8:15 [p.m.]," Wentz said. He explained the department plans to issue a community safety alert about crime prevention in the future.

Location of reported Jan. 13 armed robbery:

The armed robbery in the library parking lot was the second robbery in two months in Highwood, a town of 0.71 square-miles and about 5,500 residents.

Wentz also provided new details Tuesday about a Dec. 28 robbery. In that incident, two men in a car robbed a women in the driveway outside her home, he said.

While he declined to specify when or where it took place – other than that it was during the daytime and in a residential area – Wentz said a Highwood resident was confronted by two robbers in a silver two-door Saab, which is believed to be a model year from the early 2000s.

The chief said both suspects in the robbery were captured on video and both were described as black men. The pair did not display or imply a weapon, the chief confirmed.

He said the stolen purse was found dumped nearby and everything in it was recovered other what cash had been left inside.

"I think it was just totally random, they just saw somebody there and just went for it." Wentz said. "There wasn't any planning that I could tell."

» More: 2 Elderly Women Held Up At Gunpoint In Highwood Armed Robbery

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