Robbery Suspects Apprehended

It is scary to think that these armed felons were in the neighborhood of the middle school while after school activities and clubs were taking place and neither parents or teachers received any information from the administration about it. Furthermore, if Mr. Sanchez was brazen enough to point a gun at a police officer, what might he have done to a parent or child?

http://www.pioneerlocal.com/westernsprings/news/2933616,ws-felonsarrest-113010-s1.article

Two face charges in Indian Head Park robbery

November 30, 2010 

By WYNN KOEBEL FOSTER wfoster@pioneerlocal.com

Indian Head police report the arrests of two men believed to have robbed Guy Blando Jewelry, 6940 S. Wolf Road, at gunpoint at 4 p.m. Nov. 2. One of the store's owners fired several rounds from his .380-caliber pistol as they drove off, with a tray of rings valued at $9,722.

Indian Head Park officers recovered the getaway vehicle, a stolen blue 2003 Ford Ranger, the next day at a condominium complex on the 7200 block of South Wolf Road. Evidence inside it was processed and tuned over to a two-man crew of Chicago officers, who were investigating a series of armed robberies, said Indian Head Park Police Sgt. Curtis Novak.

The evidence local police developed led to two men, Juan Sanchez, 38, of 925 S. Prospect St., Gary, Ind., and Luis Reyes, 47, of 7733 S. Spaulding Ave., Chicago. Both are convicted felons on parole, police said. Chicago police stopped the two on the 5400 block of South Kedzie Avenue in Chicago the evening of Nov. 23.

Sanchez got out of their Dodge Durango and pointed a handgun at officers. He was subsequently shot and taken into custody by police. Reyes drove away, but police arrested him later that night.

So far, Sanchez and Reyes have been charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, one count of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, one count of armed habitual criminal behavior and 18 counts of armed robbery with a firearm.

“We expect more charges will be filed,” Novak said. “We believe they are linked to at least 30 armed robberies.”