An Elmhurst man who thought he was meeting a potential buyer for the used car he advertised on Facebook Marketplace instead found himself Thursday night, June 19, staring at the barrel of a gun and out both the car and the expected $14,000 asking price.
A Morton Grove man, allegedly already on pretrial release for a forcible felony in Cook County, is charged with robbing the Elmhurst man at gunpoint in a downtown Elmhurst grocery store and taking his vehicle.
Isaiah Roach, 19, of the 5900 block of Warren Court was charged with one count of Armed Robbery (a Class X felony), one count of Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle (a Class 2 felony) and one count of Theft (a Class 2 felony), according to a news release from DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Elmhurst Police Chief Michael McLean.
At approximately 10:30 p.m. on June 19, Roach allegedly met the victim in Elmhurst after responding to an ad the victim had placed on Facebook Marketplace to sell his car for $14,000. Roach and the Elmhurst resident met outside the lobby of the Elmhurst Police station. But instead of entering the police station lobby, Roach apparently convinced the car owner to conduct the transaction inside the nearby Jewel Osco, 153 E. Schiller St., where there were security cameras.
Once inside the grocery store, Roach allegedly reached into his waistband, displayed a black handgun, and told the victim, “Give me the keys if you ever want to see your family again.” The victim threw his key fob at Roach and ran to the customer service desk and called 911.
Roach allegedly drove off in the victim’s car, which the victim had parked in the Elmhurst Police Station parking lot. Evanston police officers subsequently located the victim’s car at a gas station in Evanston, where they reportedly observed Roach pumping gas. According to the report, Roach fled on foot, but Evanston police were able to take him into custody. Roach allegedly had the victim’s key fob in his pocket when he was arrested. Roach is currently on pretrial release for Vehicular Hijacking in Cook County, according to the release.
“The offender was quickly arrested within 90 minutes of the crime.,” McLean said in an email to Pioneer Press. “I credit the license plate reader technology that advised our detectives the victim’s car was in Evanston and the strong interdepartmental cooperation with Evanston Police that led to Mr. Roach’s apprehension.”
In the release, McLean pointed out the need for caution when selling high value items.
“Citizens participating in online exchanges should heed the warning signs of a dangerous deal,” McLean said. “Any buyer or seller who is unwilling to come into a police station for a valuable transaction and instead asks to meet elsewhere late at night should be met with suspicion. Don’t agree to a dangerous situation. I also thank State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his office for their legal guidance and support during this investigation.”
In the release, Berlin said of the case, “In DuPage County we have zero tolerance for the type of armed violence as alleged in this case and we will prosecute this case to the fullest extent of the law. I commend the Elmhurst Police Department for their outstanding work investigating this case and I thank the Evanston Police Department for their assistance in apprehending the alleged offender.”
As noted in the release, the complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.