DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Willowbrook Chief of Police Robert Schaller announced today that two men presently in custody in Indiana on unrelated charges, have been charged with carjacking an elderly couple’s 2021 BMW 840i at gunpoint from a Willowbrook gas station. Kevin Sanders, 22 (d.o.b. 4/9/1999) of the 300 block of Brown Street, West Lafayette and Antonio Davis, 20 (d.o.b. 7/30/2001) of the 8700 block of S. Burley Avenue, Chicago, have both been charged in the incident. Both men are facing charges of Aggravated Vehicular Hijacking (Class X Felony), Aggravated Battery (Class 3 Felony) and Theft (Class 3 Felony). Sanders has also been charged with Unlawful Use of a Weapon by a Felon (Class 3 Felony) while Davis is facing additional charges of Armed Robbery with a Firearm (Class X Felony), Aggravated Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon (Class 1 Felony) and two counts of Robbery (Class 1 and Class 2 Felony).
On July 15, 2021, at approximately 2:47 p.m., the couple stopped at the Citgo Gas Station, located at 6900 Kingery Highway in Willowbrook. The female victim entered the store and upon her return to her vehicle, it is alleged that two individuals, later identified as Davis and Sanders, exited the rear doors of a stolen Dodge Durango and approached the couple’s BMW with each defendant going towards the opposite sides of the victims’ car. It is alleged that Sanders approached the passenger side of the vehicle carrying a long gun and that he shoved the female victim away from the vehicle causing bruising to her body. It is alleged that at the same time, Davis approached the driver’s side of the BMW, pointed a firearm at the male victim’s head and ordered him out of the vehicle. It is further alleged that Davis and Sanders stole personal items from the couple including cellular phones, cash, the man’s wallet and the woman’s purse. It is further alleged that the duo then entered the victims’ car and fled the scene followed by the Durango. Through the course of their investigation, authorities identified Davis and Sanders as suspects in the crime. On August 16, 2021, authorities learned that Davis and Sanders were arrested by the West Lafayette Police Department on July 28, 2021, for armed robbery and other offenses. Both men have been in custody in Indiana since that time. On September 21, 2021, DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Jeffrey MacKay issued a $500,000 with 10% to apply arrest warrant for each man.
"The allegations that these two men threatened their victims at gunpoint in the middle of the afternoon at a busy gas station are egregious and will be met with the full force and effect of the law,” Berlin said. “The filing of these charges sends the message that if you commit a crime in DuPage County, we will use all available resources to find you, charge you and return you to DuPage County if necessary, where you will face an aggressive prosecution. We are all thankful that the victims in this case were not seriously injured. I commend the Willowbrook Police Department for their outstanding work in identifying the defendants in this case. I thank the Chicago and West Lafayette Police Departments, DuPage County MERIT, the Chicago Fire Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Tippecanoe County Prosecutors Office and the Tippecanoe Sheriff’s Office for their assistance as well as Assistant State’s Attorneys Alyssa Rabulinski, Helen Kapas and Kristin Sullivan for
“Unfortunately, we have seen a recent increase in crime in DuPage County committed by individuals who seemingly come to DuPage for the sole purpose of illegal activity,” Schaller said. “Thanks to DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his staff however, those individuals quickly learn that if you commit a crime in DuPage County, you will be held responsible. The successful charging of those accused in this case could not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of our investigators, DuPage County MERIT, the Chicago Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. I thank all the men and women involved in this case for their contributions.”
Upon disposition of their cases in Indiana, both men will be extradited to DuPage County to face the charges against them. The State has filed petitions to deny bail for both men. The defendants are eligible for enhanced sentencing and if found guilty of the Aggravated Vehicular Hijacking charge, will face a sentence of between twenty-one to forty-five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendants’ guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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