Two men have been charged with a string of recent robberies in north suburban Waukegan, two of which happened within five minutes of each other on Thanksgiving.
Donald Palmer, 44, and Gregory Battle, 20, allegedly pulled up to someone in a gold Buick sedan about 9:15 a.m. Nov. 28 in the 400 block of Lincoln Avenue, Waukegan police said. Battle allegedly flashed a gun and took property from the person before hopping back into the Buick, which was said to be driven by Palmer.
About five minutes later, the pair allegedly drove up to someone in the 100 block of South Martin Avenue and beat them before stealing their property, police said.
Palmer was charged with armed robbery, robbery, battery and being an armed habitual criminal for these two incidents, police said. Battle, who is being held at the Racine County Jail in Wisconsin for an unrelated incident, was charged with armed robbery, aggravated robbery and battery.
Palmer, however, wasn’t arrested until 9:45 p.m. Dec. 11, after police found him driving a Honda minivan that matched the description of one involved in a string of robberies earlier that evening, police said.
Palmer was charged with additional counts of armed robbery and being an armed habitual criminal for an incident that occurred about 5:40 p.m. that day, in which he allegedly jumped out of the minivan with a gun and robbed someone in the 1100 block of Westmoreland Avenue.
Additionally, police believe Palmer may have been involved in a robbery that happened about half an hour later, in which multiple suspects exited a Honda minivan and robbed someone at gunpoint in the first block of Pioneer Road. No charges have been filed yet in that case, police said.
A 17-year-old boy was also charged with armed robbery and unlawful use of a weapon for the robbery that happened on Westmoreland Avenue, police said. He is being held at Depke Juvenile Center in Vernon Hills.
Palmer is being held at the Lake County Jail on $500,000 bond, police said, and he will appear back in court Jan. 8. Battle’s warrant is for $300,000 and will be served while he is in custody in the Racine County Jail.