Supt. Escalante first responder at Little Village armed robbery

Chicago Police Interim Supt. John Escalante was the first police officer to respond to an armed robbery Thursday evening at a beauty supply store in the Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

Shortly before 6 p.m., Escalante was headed to a meeting when he was notified of an armed robbery in progress in the 2200 block of South Pulaski Road, about a block away from his location, according to Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

When the call came out, Escalante responded and was the first unit at the scene, Guglielmi said.

When he and his aid got to the beauty supply store, they made sure the building was secure and found a small group of employees and customers hiding in a back room, Guglielmi said. The robbers had left “moments” before Escalante got there.

The robbers were described as two black males wearing ski masks and jackets, Guglielmi said. Escalante directed officers to canvas the area for the two suspects who fled down Pulaski.

Guglielmi added that Escalante made sure the employees and customers were safe before more officers took over the scene and then he continued on his way to his meeting.