Two men—one being a police officer—were charged Saturday with aggravated armed robbery at an Exxon gas station in Norridge and a Shell gas station in Park Ridge.
According to officials, Park Ridge Police responded at the 1300 W. block of Higgins Road around 1:30 a.m. Thursday.
Police said they located a Black GMC Canyon, which matched an armed robbery suspect vehicle description in a Norridge Police Department bulletin.
Two males—who were later identified as Edward Karas , 40, of Rosemont, and Wright Olaughlin, 48, of Chicago—got out of the vehicle at a 7-11 store, police said.
The suspects, police said, were placed into custody based on probable cause established by Norridge Police for an armed robbery that occurred on Wednesday morning at the Exxon Gas Station in the 8500 block of Lawrence Avenue in Norridge, less than an hour after an armed robbery at the Shell Gas Station at 2301 W. Touhy, Park Ridge.
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Authorities recovered evidence, including the suspected weapon, connecting Olaughlin and Karas to two armed robberies.
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Karas has been a Rosemont Public Safety Officer since 2005, though he had been on administrative leave (since June 11) at the time of the armed robberies, officals said.
According a police officer, Karas was also a firefighter (though not commonly seen, in Rosemont a public safety officer trains to do both).
Class X Felony Charges for aggravated armed robbery were filed Saturday at the Leighton Criminal Court building.
“I am extremely disappointed in the actions of Edward Karas," expressed Superintendent Donald E. Stephens III. "We do not tolerate this misconduct in this department nor in this profession. This does not reflect on the hard working, dedicated, and honest officers that go out of their way each and every day to provide exceptional service to this community. We are committed to providing a high level of service that is done with honesty, integrity, and respect. Edward Karas will be held accountable for his actions and will have his day in court.”
