15-year-old Indiana boy charged with Elmhurst armed robbery

A 15-year-old boy from northwest Indiana has been charged with an armed robbery last year in west suburban Elmhurst.

The robbery happened on the evening of Nov. 27, 2017, when the victim responded to a Facebook post offering an iPhone 7 for sale, according to a statement from Elmhurst police.

He told investigators that he met with two males in the 100 block of East North Avenue with the intention of buying the phone, police said. When the victim arrived, one of the supposed sellers pulled out a handgun and they robbed him of his cash before running off.

Further investigation revealed that the robbers left the area in a 2006 Chevrolet van that had been reported stolen from Hammond, Indiana, police said. The van was recovered the next day in south suburban South Holland, but the suspects ran away on foot.

Detectives obtained search warrants for the Facebook account information of the person who set up the transaction, which identified the 15-year-old Hammond boy as the suspect, police said. The account also showed him in possession of a handgun matching the description of the gun used in the robbery.

The boy was recently arrested in an unrelated case in Cook County and was brought to DuPage County to face the armed robbery charge against him, police said. He appeared in DuPage County Juvenile Court on Tuesday.

Police said the lobby of the Elmhurst Police Department is staffed 24 hours a day and is available as a meeting place for online transactions that require a face-to-face meeting.