Knife-Wielding Teen Robber Beaten By Cellphone Arrested: Police

LAKE FOREST, IL — Police arrested a 16-year-old Lake Forest boy on Monday accused of trying to rob a woman with a large kitchen knife before fleeing when she beat him with her cell phone. Police said they identified the teen as a person of interest through leads uncovered following the incident Friday night and into Saturday.

But before police could track him down, they got a call that he was involved in a separate crime: stealing a car from a relative early Monday morning.

"It was just fortuitous that last night around 1:30 a.m. we had to deal with him," said Lake Forest Police Deputy Chief Rob Copeland.

Police said the teen had a handful of unauthorized prescription drugs, as well as about 15 grams of cannabis on him when he was arrested near his house behind the wheel of the stolen car.

Copeland said the victim was contacted and came down to the station in the middle of the night in order to identify the teen in a photo lineup, which she did.

"Once we had that, we were able to elicit a confession," Copeland said.

At the station, the teen was interviewed by detectives with a parent present. During his interrogation, he admitted trying to rob the woman at knife-point Friday.

He was taken to the Lake County Juvenile Detention Center and held pending a preliminary court hearing on charges of aggravated armed robbery, possession of a controlled substance and possession of cannabis.

Neither Lake Forest nor Lake Bluff police indicated they believe the detained teen was also responsible for a similar incident in which a man with a knife tried to rob a woman in nearby Lake Bluff on Nov. 4 before running away.

Lake Bluff Police Chief David Belmonte said that incident remains under investigation and declined to comment on whether police believe the same individual was responsible.

Read more: Woman Beats Armed Robber With Cellphone In Lake Forest

_{Top photo via Lake Forest PD}