World's Dumbest Criminals: Store Robbers Arrested After Hiding Inside a Police Station

Nick Kangadis | September 12, 2017
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It’s time for everybody’s favorite game show: “World’s Dumbest Criminals!”

Three men were arrested in North suburban Chicago last Friday for robbing a Verizon store at gunpoint. Their biggest problem? Not being the most intelligent when it comes to evading the police.

The men were successful in stealing “at least 20 cell phones and other electronic devices from the safe and left through the back door,” according to Lake Bluff Deputy Chief Mike Hosking. The men also used zip ties to bind the Verizon employees' wrists.

Leaving through the back door was smartest part of the wunderkind’s escape. The rest of their escape — not so much.

The suspects then got into a high speed chase with the cops, eventually crashing their vehicle.

According to the Chicago Tribune:

At Richfield Avenue and Deerfield Road, the car crashed, said Highland Park Deputy Chief Timothy Wilinski.

"That's when the suspects bailed," Wilinski said. "They fled on foot. Where the crash was, was adjacent to the police parking lot. One was taken into custody in the rear parking lot of the Highland Park Police Station. The other two fled on foot and ran into the lobby of the police station, where they were taken into custody.”

You read that correctly. Two of the men hid inside the Highland Park police station, and the other was apprehended hiding in the station's parking lot.

Highland Park Deputy Chief Timothy Wilinski made an absolutely hilarious observation.

“I don't think they knew it was a police facility," Wilinski said. "They were hiding behind a vending machine in our lobby.”

The Tribune also reported:

Eddie L. Hill, 24, of the 9300 block of South King Drive, Cordell C. Prince, 21, of the first block of East 100th Place and Aries A. Rickenbacker, 22, of the 800 block of South Vernon Avenue were all charged with armed robbery and related charges on Sept. 9, according to the Lake County Sheriff's website.

Hill and Prince are each being held at Lake County Jail against $500,000 bond. Rickenbacker is being held against $750,000 bond. If convicted on armed robbery, a class X felony, each could be sentenced to 6 to 30 years in prison, said Cynthia Vargas, spokesperson for the Lake County States Attorney.

All three were also charged with felony possession or use of a weapon, defacement of firearm ID markings and unlawful restraint.

“Defacement of firearm ID markings” indicates that the guns were illegal and not registered with any agency.

If for some reason you are ever running from police — something I don’t suggest anyone do — maybe don’t hide from the cops inside a police station. 

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