An Illinois man was arrested on a charge of robbery with a deadly weapon after two women reported being robbed at a Trafalgar ATM.
Police were led to the suspect by video of the incident and a traffic stop minutes after the robbery.
Rahulkumar D. Patel, 35, of Woodridge, Illinois, was arrested on a charge of robbery, a Level 3 felony. The incident occurred at the Mutual Savings Bank ATM at 2 Trafalgar Square about 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 31, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Two women told police they were at the ATM when the suspect approached them, wearing a ski mask and sunglasses and carrying a gun, according to the report. The women told police that the suspect pointed the gun at both women, hit one woman on the head with the weapon, and got $70 in cash from the other woman, the probable cause affidavit said. He took both purses.
Minutes after the robbery, a deputy from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Officer saw a vehicle that matched the description of the suspect’s car traveling northbound on State Road 135 just north of County Road 200 North, and the deputy noted the driver tried to hide his face. The officer pulled the driver over as he had a headlight out.
On Feb. 3, an officer stopped Patel for a traffic violation in Woodridge, Illinois and searched his vehicle, finding a black BB handgun pistol, a black face mask and a black hooded jacket, consistent with reports detailing what the suspect was wearing and carrying during the robbery, according to the report.
Patel was arrested on Feb. 18 and taken to the Johnson County jail, where he was held on $25,000 bond.
