A 21-year-old Illinois man accused of threatening to kill a woman and stealing her car near Interstate 65 in July has been tracked down and arrested in Chicago, Rensselaer police said. Daemon Robinson, of Streamwood, Illinois, was taken into custody on outstanding warrants connected to the carjacking case, more than three months after the incident.
Police said Robinson was located and arrested in Chicago, with Rensselaer officers confirming the arrest in a Wednesday update, according to The Times. The arrest closes out months of searching tied to a carjacking that investigators say unfolded quickly and violently near the intersection of Interstate 65 and State Road 114 in Rensselaer. Authorities credited the U.S. Marshals Service with locating and arresting Robinson, according to Country Herald.
A Threat at the Pump, Then a High-Speed Flight
The original incident occurred shortly before 10 a.m. on July 30 near Interstate 65 and State Road 114 in Rensselaer, per the same account. Investigators said a man approached a woman who was refueling, demanded her car keys and credit card, and allegedly implied he had a firearm. Police said the suspect threatened to kill the woman if she refused to comply, then took her vehicle and fled northbound on I-65.
According to a report from WLFI at the time, the suspect drove the stolen vehicle north before crashing near the Illinois state line and fleeing on foot. The crash site ultimately became a critical piece of the puzzle for investigators working to identify who had taken the car.
Surveillance Footage and License Plate Readers Cracked the Case
Before the carjacking even happened, surveillance footage showed the suspect walking around nearby businesses for several hours, the report notes. Investigators also used license plate reader technology to identify a vehicle that allegedly dropped the suspect off earlier that morning, giving them an early thread to pull as they built their case.
That digital trail eventually connected to evidence recovered from the crash near the Illinois line, which police said linked Robinson to the investigation. The combination of business camera footage, license plate data, and physical evidence from the wrecked vehicle allowed detectives to build toward identifying and ultimately locating their suspect, even after he had fled the scene on foot.
Charges and What Comes Next
Robinson faces charges of armed robbery, a Level 3 felony, and auto theft, a Level 6 felony, the outlet reported. The Rensselaer Police Department confirmed his arrest in Wednesday’s update but did not specify when he would be transferred to Jasper County, leaving the next steps in the case still unclear for now.
