Suspects Apprehended After Armed Robbery at Plainfield 7-Eleven

Updated at 1:55 p.m. Aug. 15:

Editor's note: Police originally stated that a witness who drove past the scene of the robbery was able to identify the suspects' vehicle. The man was actually a nearby resident who observed the three suspects as they fled the store, according to police.

Three men are facing armed robbery charges after holding up a Plainfield 7-Eleven store early Wednesday morning, police said.

Andre L. Mack Jr., 18, of the 5700 block of North Washtenaw, Chicago, is also charged with aggravated assault, aggravated discharge of a firearm and criminal defacement of a firearm after allegedly firing at a store clerk and a witness during the robbery, according to police.

Deshon E. Grissom, 19, of the 14000 block of South Whipple in Posen and Mequin N. Sample, 24, of the 300 block of South Austin in Oak Park are charged with armed robbery.

Plainfield Sgt. Mike Fisher said all three men were wearing bandanas over their faces and two were carrying guns when they entered the store shortly before 2:30 a.m.

After the trio ordered the clerk to get down on the ground, Mack is accused of firing a gunshot into the floor near the 7-Eleven employee.

Fisher said the robbers stole a cash register, then fled to a vehicle parked in a nearby residential driveway.

Mack is also accused of firing a shot at the resident, who came outside as the three offenders were running toward the vehicle, Fisher said. 

Neither the resident nor the clerk were injured in the incident, and the resident was able to give police description of the vehicle, police said.

Plainfield police who arrived on the scene put out an emergency radio broadcast to surrounding communities with the vehicle and offender descriptions.

"They did exactly the right thing by immediately putting out an alert over ISPERN," Fisher said, referring to the Illinois State Police Emergency Radio Network.

The three suspects were stopped by Joliet and Crest Hill police a short time later at Larkin and Ingalls in Joliet.

Fisher said the driver of the vehicle attempted to flee as police took the three into custody.

"He actually struggled with one of the Crest Hill officers," Fisher said. "He literally slipped out of his shirt and fled the scene shirtless."

Joliet police were able to apprehend the shirtless suspect near the Ingalls Avenue Walgreens store, police said.

After witnesses identified the suspects, the three men were turned over to Plainfield police for questioning, Fisher said. He credited detectives with eliciting full confessions from all three.

"They were very forthcoming about their activities in their interviews," said Fisher, who added police do not believe the 7-Eleven robbery has any connection to an attempted armed robbery at a restaurant in July or Tuesday morning's shooting at a .

Fisher credited all three police departments with working together effectively and efficiently to apprehend the three men.

"It was just one of those good efforts," he said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, all three men were being held at the Will County jail.

Original story:

Several suspects are in custody Wednesday after a late-night armed robbery and shooting at the Plainfield store at Main Street and Route 59, police said.

Sgt. Mike Fisher said an unknown number of suspects entered the store brandishing guns around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, demanding cash and cigarettes.

“They took the entire cash register,” Fisher said, adding it was unclear whether it was the thieves’ intention to steal the entire register, or if they were simply unable to open it during the robbery.

One of the suspects fired off at least one shot during the robbery, but no one was injured, police said.

“At one point during the robbery, he made some kind of comment to the clerk that this wasn’t any kind of joke, and he fired a round into the ground inside the store,” Fisher said.

Sign up for Plainfield Patch's daily newsletter and email alerts.

A witness who drove past the store thought the suspects’ vehicle looked suspicious and took down the license plate, according to police.

“He thought it looked odd the way they got out of the vehicle,” Fisher said. After the robbery, the suspects fled, heading toward Joliet, police said.

Dispatchers fielded a 911 call from the clerk, along with a call from the witness providing information on the vehicle, Fisher said.

and Crest Hill police pulled the vehicle over on Larkin Avenue.

Fisher said the driver bailed out of the vehicle and scuffled with one of the officers before fleeing on foot. He was later apprehended behind the at Larkin and Ingalls in Joliet.

The suspects were still being interviewed Wednesday morning, police said.

Fisher said he would have more details on the incident and arrests later Wednesday.

Check back with Patch for updates on this developing story.

------------------------

Follow us on Facebook for a slightly different take on the news.