Three arrested in connection with Near West Side robberies

Three people were arrested early Tuesday after their vehicle was connected to a pair of armed robberies earlier this month on the Near West Side.

Just after midnight, officers stopped a vehicle in the 0-100 block of North Homan Avenue that matched the description of one used in the robberies, according to Chicago Police.

Officers found 23-year-old Niko Hines and Raven Gillespie, 30, in the car with guns and cannabis, police said. Donald Williams, 19, also had a gun and tried to run, but police arrested him a short distance away.

Gillespie, of the 3100 block of West Madison, was charged with one felony count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, police said.

Detectives then identified Williams and Hines as the suspects in two separate armed robberies from April 1 in the 2300 block of West Monroe, police said. In those incidents, the robbers took the money three men after they made an ATM withdrawal.

Williams, of the 1000 block of West Ainslie, was charged with one felony count each of aggravated vehicular hijacking, armed robbery, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, as well as one misdemeanor count of possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card, police said.

Hines, of the 19000 block of South Loras in County Club Hills, was charged with one felony count each of aggravated vehicular hijacking, armed robbery, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, and possession of a controlled substance, police said. He was also charged with possession of cannabis and possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card, both misdemeanors.

Williams was ordered held on a $10,000 bond and is next scheduled to appear in court Monday, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office.

Gillespie was ordered held on a $50,000 bond and is next scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, according to court records. Hines will also appear in court Tuesday after he was ordered held on a $350,000 bond.