Riverside Home Invasion Suspect Arrested: Cops

RIVERSIDE, IL — Two people in a house were held up at gunpoint last week in Riverside, with two suspects robbing them of their medical marijuana, police said.

About 8 p.m. Wednesday, a man and a woman were sleeping in the house in the 100 block of East Quincy when the man heard a knock at the door, according to a police news release.

When he opened the door, a man and a woman forced their way into the house at gunpoint and stole the marijuana, which the homeowners were licensed to have, police said.

The homeowners — a 29-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man — were not injured, police said.

In the investigation, Riverside police examined video footage from the village's street cameras on Harlem at East Quincy and were able to get the suspects' car information.

Tracing the car to Melrose Park, they arrested Arianna Magdalena Douchand, 28, of Melrose Park, Thursday on charges of home invasion and armed robbery, both felonies. Police said Douchand committed the robbery while her partner held up the homeowners at gunpoint. She has a criminal history that includes battery, police said.

The other suspect has not been apprehended, but police said they know who they are looking for.

In the news release, Police Chief Tom Weitzel said the suspects knew the homeowners had medical marijuana licenses.

"When reported, the call was delayed 15 minutes because the victims feared retaliation," Weitzel said. "Officers were on scene within three minutes."

He said the incident was another example of the success of Riverside's street camera program.

"Within 20 minutes of the initial call, officers already had the car identified strictly due to the street camera program...," the chief said. "To date, Riverside has solved 12 cases due to the program, this being one of the most serious incidents we've had so far."