Employee Charged In Murder of Arby's Manager

HICKORY HILLS, IL -- A 26-year-old Hickory Hills man has been arrested for the murder of an Arby’s night manager, police said. Irvin Thomas, has been charged with first-degree murder, apparently stemming from an altercation at the fast food restaurant that resulted in the stabbing death of 35-year-old John Price. Thomas is scheduled to appear in bond court Saturday at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building at 26th Street and California Avenue.

Hickory Hills police went to Arby’s at 9021 W. 95th St. shortly after 10 p.m. Sept. 20 in response to a 911 call of man being stabbed. When officers arrived, they found Price laying the Jewel-Osco parking lot adjacent to Arby’s. Police said Price was suffering from numerous stab wounds. He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where he was pronounced dead.

The South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force was activated and together with Hickory Hills detectives, investigated the case. Officers learned that Price and another employee, later identified as Thomas, had a physical altercation resulting in Price’s death. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Price’s death a homicide from “multiple sharp force injuries.” Police sources have told Patch that surveillance video from the restaurant and outside in the parking lot reportedly captured the entire fight, including the ditching of the murder weapon.

>>> Arby's Manager Murdered In Hickory Hills; 1 Person in Custody

Thomas was arrested at his residence in Hickory Hills, where he was taken into custody without incident, Hickory Hills police said in a news release. Felony charges were approved by the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office on Friday.