Bridgeview Robbery and Burglary Spree Ends at Millennium Park: Prosecutor

BRIDGEVIEW, IL -- A convicted felon on parole accused of robbing a restaurant and burglarizing a hotel in Bridgeview was tracked to Millennium Park in downtown Chicago where he was arrested, prosecutors said.

Michael Swift, 24, of Elgin, appeared before Cook County Judge Havis on charges of armed robbery, burglary and possession of a replica firearm.

Bridgeview police responded to a report of a burglary around 9:10 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Super 8 Hotel, 7887 W 79th St. The desk clerk told police that after he locked the hotel’s front door he noticed that the cash drawer had been forced open at the desk.

Surveillance video showed a man, later identified as Swift, wearing a black mask and then removing it. Swift stood waiting for the clerk and when he didn’t return the video showed Swift removing a large silver revolver and putting it on the counter, the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor said Swift put the gun back in his waistband and went behind the desk. He allegedly forced the cash register open and grabbed all the cash and coins before exiting through the front door. The clerk later identified him as a previous guest.

A few days later on Sept. 13, Swift showed up at Zaca Tacos,8460 Harlem Ave., in Bridgeview. According to the charges, Swift entered the restaurant around 9:25 p.m. and went to the restroom. After exiting the restroom he followed the cashier into the kitchen area where he displayed a large silver revolver.

According to the charges, he demanded money from the register and was handed $720 in cash. He left the restaurant and got into a cab. Police were able to get the address of a hotel where Swift had been dropped off from the cab driver.

Bridgeview police went to the room registered to Swift where officers found his girlfriend. Police were able to obtain a photo of Swift from the Illinois Department of Corrections, the prosecutor said.

Swift was traced through the GPS tracker on his cell phone to Millennium Park in downtown Chicago, where he was arrested. The prosecutor said police recovered the gun from his bag, which turned out to be a pellet gun.

He is being held without bond for violating parole, the prosecutor said. Swift was released on parole from the Illinois Department of Corrections, where he had been serving a six year sentence stemming from a 2013 conviction on aggravated robbery charges.