Man charged with car burglary outside Aurora restaurant

A man has been charged with breaking into a car last week in west suburban Aurora.

Darius Benard, 18, is charged with a felony count of burglary to a motor vehicle and a misdemeanor count of possession of ammunition without a FOID card, according to a statement from Aurora police.

A woman was unloading her car for a party at 3:25 p.m. at the Aurora Pancake House, 321 N. Lake St., when she saw Benard standing near the vehicle, police said.

When she and a family member walked up to confront him, Benard took off running with her purse, which he’d taken out of the car, police said. He dropped the purse outside a business a few blocks away.

Officers reviewing surveillance video recognized Benard from prior interactions, police said. He was arrested about an hour later in the 400 block of North River Street in Aurora.

Benard, who lives in Aurora, was taken to the Kane County Jail for arraignment, police said.

He has since been released on a personal recognizance bond, according to Kane County court records. His next court date is scheduled for May 24.

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