Crime & Safety

Chicago Man Arrested for Lake Zurich Armed Robbery

Austin Pierce, 25, was also charged with four armed robberies on the North Shore and five in Chicago.

A Chicago man, being held in Cook County jail for a spree of armed robberies, was also charged, yesterday, with the robbery that occurred on May 21 at Ultimate Exposure Tanning, 267 South Rand Road, Lake Zurich, according to a news release from Lake Zurich Police Department.

A multi-jurisdictional investigation which involved the Wilmette, Winnetka, Glenview, Northfield and Chicago Police Departments led to the identification and subsequent arrest of Austin R. Pierce, 25, 2806 N. Oakley Ave., Chicago.  Pierce is currently being held in the Cook County Jail.

Pierce allegedly went on a spree of armed robberies in which he used a knife to rob small businesses. 

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The spree began May 16 at  in Wilmette’s Plaza del Lago, where a man wearing a lifeguard sweatshirt implied he had a knife and left with $200. On May 17, a . He fled when the employee escaped through the front door.  Later that day, a man matching the same description threatened an employee at Northfield’s Rocky Mountain Chocolate Shop with a knife and left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

On May 18, Pierce allegedly entered  at Hubbard Woods in Winnetka and displayed a knife to the store’s employees, according to a press release issued by the Winnetka Police Department. He demanded cash and fled after taking $225, police said.

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On May 21, at 3:26 p.m., for a 911 call reporting an armed robbery. The victim told police the offender entered the building and announced the robbery.  The offender displayed a knife with a black handle and silver serrated blade.  After taking cash, the offender was last seen headed northbound from Ultimate Exposure on foot.

According to TribLocal, Pierce was already in custody before being charged with the North Shore robberies because police said he used a knife and syringe to rob five Chicago businesses from May 18 and May 22. One of the North Shore store clerks identified Pierce based on a photo after his initial arrest, the article says.

The Lake Zurich Police Department obtained an arrest warrant for one count of Armed Robbery in violation of 720 ILCS 5/18-2(a) with a bond amount of $500,000.  The charge is a class X felony which is punishable by 6-30 years in the state penitentiary.  


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