Police: Man Stole Lollapalooza Passes, Tried To Sell Them On Facebook
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A West Side man is accused of stealing Lollapalooza passes from a woman and boy he met on a Facebook ticket-sale group, then trying to sell the stolen tickets online through the same group.
Rhaquen M. Freeman, 19, met a 26-year-old woman about 10:40 a.m. Tuesday in the 7700 block of Nordica Street in north suburban Niles, claiming he wanted to buy four all-show Lollapalooza passes she was selling, valued at $1,340, according to Niles police.
They met in the suburb, and while the woman explained how to use the electronic bracelets, Freeman grabbed them out of her hand and ran to a 2006 Toyota SUV that was waiting nearby, police said.
The victim got into her car, followed the SUV and called 911 to report the theft and provide the SUV's license plate number, police said.
Authorities were unable to catch the car, but identified Freeman from the Facebook direct messages he used to arrange the meeting. However, they were unable to locate him at his former home in Niles.
The next day, a boy wanting to sell two Lollapalooza passes also met Freeman in the 7700 block of Nordica, according to police. Freeman walked up to the boy, took the tickets – valued at about $700 – and ran away.
About an hour after that robbery, Freeman posted an offer to sell the four all-show Lollapalooza passes on the same Facebook group he'd used to contact the victims initially, police said.
Freeman, who lives in Chicago's Austin neighborhood, was arrested at his home on Thursday and charged with a felony count of theft, police said. The mother of the boy he allegedly robbed did not want to sign a criminal complaint against him.
Freeman appeared in court Friday, where he was released on his own recognizance, according to the Cook County sheriff's office.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2016. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
