Armed Robbery Suspect Found Dead Behind Restaurant After Shootout With Hickory Hills Cops

HICKORY HILLS, IL — An armed robbery suspect was found dead behind a restaurant on Roberts Road, where he ran after exchanging gunfire with police during a foot chase, Hickory Hills police said.

Around 8:45 p.m. Thursday, Hickory Hills police officers responded to a report of an armed robbery in the Jewel-Osco parking lot near 95th Street and Roberts Road. When officers in the area, they spotted a man who fit a 911 caller’s description, running north on Roberts Road.

Officers started chasing the man at the Speedway gas station at 95th Street and Roberts Road. The man, armed with a handgun, turned and fired at an officer, said Chief Adam Gulczynski, of the Hickory Hills Police Department.

The officer returned fire. The man continued firing as he ran, ducking into an alley. Officers found the man with a gunshot wound to his head behind The Pit Rib House, which was crowded with diners.

The man was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced deceased. A Hickory Hills police officer was also treated at Advocate Christ for abrasions.

Dramatic video of the shootout provided Arab Chicago captured the sound of gunshots and officers spreading across the Speedway parking lot.

Hickory Hills-resident, Debbie Chafee, told Patch that she was inside the Pit dining with her family when their server told them someone was shot and to stay inside the restaurant.

“We didn’t hear anything,” Chafee said. “The owner told everyone to move their cars out of the front parking lot. Those parked in the back couldn’t move their vehicles because it was an active crime scene.”

It is unclear at this time, after the man disappeared into the alley where he was found gravely injured, if he was shot by police or if the wound was self-inflicted.

“We’re waiting for autopsy results from the [Cook County] medical examiner,” the chief said.

The Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force is investigating the Hickory Hills police use of force.

More details are forthcoming.