3 charged with robbing Joliet Verizon store at gunpoint

Two masked men tied up people in the store, stole merchandise and fled in a vehicle waiting for them outside, police said.

SHARE 3 charged with robbing Joliet Verizon store at gunpoint
Three Chicago men tied up people inside a Verizon Wireless and stole merchandise Feb. 15, 2020 in Joliet.

Three Chicago men tied up people inside a Verizon Wireless and stole merchandise Feb. 15, 2020 in Joliet.

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Three Chicago men are accused of robbing a Verizon store at gunpoint over the weekend in southwest suburban Joliet.

Tirnell L. Williams, 43, 27-year-old Blaine I. Goodall and 44-year-old Tobert G. Walls are all charged with armed robbery, Joliet police said.

Officers were called about 12:44 p.m. Feb. 15 to a Verizon Wireless, 2941 W. Jefferson St., after two masked suspects armed with handguns tied everyone up inside the store and made off with iPhones, iPads, and cash from the register, police said.

Three men are charged with robbing a Verizon store at gunpoint

Tobert Walls (L), Tirnell Williams (M), Blaine Goodall (R)

Joliet police

The suspected robbers drove off in a vehicle that was waiting outside the store, police said. No one was injured.

Officers found the vehicle near Bronk Road and Theodore Street, police said. The driver of the vehicle didn’t pull over and sped off onto Interstate 55.

A Will County sheriff’s deputy later located the vehicle in the 15000 block of Janas Drive in Lockport, police said. Walls was outside of the vehicle and ran off when he was confronted. He was taken into custody after a brief chase.

As officers chased him, the other men sped off but crashed into a snow bank in the 14000 block of West Hickory Avenue in Lemont, police said. Williams was arrested and taken to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Goodall ran away from the vehicle and was taken into custody shortly after, police said. 

Two weapons and the stolen items were found, police said. The vehicle used in the robbery was reported stolen out of Indiana.

Goodall was also charged with aggravated unlawful restraint, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, unlawful use of a weapon by a street gang member, aggravated fleeing and eluding and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, police said.

Walls faces additional charges of aggravated unlawful restraint, being an armed habitual criminal, unlawful use of a weapon by a street gang member, and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, police said.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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