2 Charged with String of Armed Robberies at Cell Phone Stores

Police tracked down the suspect when he used one of the stolen phones to make calls

Two men were charged in connection to a string of robberies targeting cell phone stores on the South Side over the summer, police said.

Arlyce D. King, 39, of the 6800 block of South Normal Avenue, is charged with 14 felony counts of armed robbery and two counts of resisting a peace officer, according to a police News Affairs release.

Cornelius Brooks, 41, of the 7300 block of South Marshfield Avenue, is charged with two felony counts of armed robbery.

Between May and mid-July of this year, the pair allegedly robbed employees at gunpoint, taking cash, cell phones and other valuables before driving away, the release said.

Detectives got a break in the case when one of the suspects made calls with a phone taken in one of the robberies and police were able to connect it to Brooks and King, the statement said.

Brooks matched the description of a suspect in two of the robberies, and drove a vehicle similar to alleged getaway car. He was arrested July 23, while King was arrested the next day.

Police initially thought King was involved in eight of the robberies, but later linked him to two more of the robberies and charged him in those crimes in late August.

Both men are currently in the custody of the Cook County Department of Corrections.

Contact Us