A man charged with lying about being stabbed during a robbery on the Magnificent Mile actually cut himself after arguing with his girlfriend, prosecutors said.
Javier Paredes, 32, was charged with retail theft and false reporting and held on $450 bail Sunday during a hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.
On Nov. 14, Paredes allegedly stole razor blades from a CVS at 205 N. Michigan Ave. and walked north, according to Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Rebecca Wiggers.
By the time Paredes reached Ohio Street, he was lying on the ground with cuts to his abdomen, according to Wiggers. He was treated by emergency responders and told police he was stabbed during a robbery.
Prosecutors said security cameras in the area did not capture a robbery at the time.
Almost a month later, Paredes was arrested on Thursday while allegedly pulling handles on fences of gangways in the Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side, Chicago police said.
Investigators later identified Paredes as the suspect for the theft at CVS and false reporting of a robbery and stabbing, Wiggers said.
Paredes told investigators that he cut himself after arguing with his girlfriend and threatening to harm himself, according to Wiggers.
Judge Mary C. Marubio said Paredes’ alleged coverup was “foolish” and that the time investigators spent reviewing surveillance footage was a waste of police resources.
Paredes was scheduled to appear in court again Dec. 20.
