Five teenagers were arrested Thursday after Aurora police said a juvenile walking home from school was robbed at gunpoint. Officers tracked the suspects’ SUV, which crashed during a police pursuit, and detained the group after a short foot chase.
Robbery, Chase and Crash
Aurora police say the robbery was reported around 3:25 p.m. near Howell Place and Fourth Avenue, when two people wearing ski masks stepped in front of the juvenile and blocked the path. One suspect displayed a handgun while the other took the victim’s property. The pair then fled in an SUV.
Officers used license-plate-reader hits to locate the vehicle, which later crashed near East Galena Boulevard and North State Street. According to police, two people ran from the wreck but were caught after a brief foot chase, and a firearm was recovered at the scene, as reported by FOX 32 Chicago.
Charges and Arrests
Aurora police say five suspects were ultimately detained. Three adults have been charged, while two juveniles, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old, were taken into custody but had not yet been charged as of the latest update.
Authorities identified 19-year-old Antoine Jackson of Oswego and 18-year-old Rufo Alacron of Aurora among those arrested and listed multiple felony counts, including armed robbery and aggravated fleeing and eluding. “This incident highlights the effectiveness of our department’s coordinated response strategies,” Chief Matt Thomas told FOX 32 Chicago.
License-Plate Readers and Privacy
Police credited license-plate-reader technology with quickly zeroing in on the SUV, calling it a tool that helps officers solve cases faster. Privacy advocates and previous reporting have pointed out that automated license-plate readers can generate false “hits” and enable broad location tracking unless clear policies limit how long data is kept and how widely it is shared. Those concerns, along with reporting on errors and data-sharing practices, are explored by CBS News and the ACLU of Massachusetts.
How to Help
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Aurora Police Investigations Division at (630) 256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000, per the Aurora Police Department. Investigators say tips and witness accounts can be crucial as the case moves forward.
