Man Charged With Robbing McDonald's, Distracting Police
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A man suspected of robbing a McDonald's armed with a screwdriver apparently tried to distract police with a fake 911 call and, ended up leading police right to him in the Rogers Park neighborhood.
Cortez Wright, 21, of the 2400 block of West Roosevelt Road, was charged with robbery and disorderly conduct, both of which are felonies, police said.
He was ordered held Wednesday on $150,000 bond, according to the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
About 6 a.m. Rogers Park District police officers responded to two different calls: a 911 call reporting a person with a gun at 6310 N. Lakewood Ave. and another reporting the robbery of a McDonald's restaurant at 6900 N. Western Ave. in West Rogers Park.
Officers quickly learned that armed person call appeared to be false, so they asked the 911 center to call the number it came from to try and get more information, police said.
Meanwhile, officers had already stopped Wright at 6900 N. Campbell Ave., because he matched the description given out to officers as a flash message as the person who robbed the McDonald's, and he was "panting heavily,'' police said.
When the dispatcher called the number, Wright's cell phone rang and officers put two and two together, police said.
Police believe Wright may have been trying to send police to the Lakewood address to divert their attention from the robbery.
During the robbery, which was captured by the restaurant's surveillance camera, at least two suspects apparently threw a rock through its front door to enter, according to a police report.
A McDonald's staffer told police she was in a back office when she heard a loud bang and saw two suspects running into the restaurant, one armed with a screwdriver.
The suspects grabbed her and allegedly said: "Don't move and nothing will happen to you,'' according to the report.
She complied and the suspect took money from a safe before fleeing out a side kitchen door.
No one else was arrested as of Thursday morning.
Wright is next scheduled to appear in court on March 8.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2011. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
