Suspects steal cash, phones in west side armed robbery, Joliet police say

Two men were arrested after police responded to two robberies involving knives and a gun in a West Jefferson Street parking lot near La Mex and Aurelio’s Pizza.

About 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, officers responded to a parking lot in the
3100 block of West Jefferson Street after receiving a report of an armed robbery, Joliet police said in a news release.

The parking lot is in the shopping plaza where La Mex and Aurelio’s Pizza restaurant are located on the city’s West Side.

The police conducted an investigation and determined that two suspects had entered the back seat of a victim’s vehicle before brandishing a knife and firearm. The two men took the victims’ cellphones, a bag and cash before they left the vehicle and fled east from the parking lot, police said.

The officers determined where one of the suspects lived, police said.

Officers found Andre D. Tucker, 21, and Romeo A. Nance, 19, inside a vehicle at that location, police said. Tucker lives in that block, according to court records.

Tucker and Nance were positively identified as being the ones who robbed the victims, police said. Both men were arrested, and officers found Nance in possession of a knife after searching him, police said.

Both men were taken to the Will County jail, where they were being held as of Friday. Nance is being held on a $50,000 bond, while Tucker has a $75,000 bond.

Tucker and Nance face felony charges of robbery and theft in connection with the incident.