Aurora man gets 22 years in prison for robbing Lisle Verizon store

An Aurora man was sentenced Thursday to 22 years in prison for robbing a Lisle Verizon store at gunpoint in 2020, prosecutors said.

The state had asked for the maximum 45-year sentence for Aaron Thompson, 29. Thompson and his cousin, co-defendant, Ezekiel Thompson, 29, formerly of Aurora, both appeared in bond court on Feb. 3, 2020, where the court ordered they both be held without bond.

On Sept. 30, 2024, Aaron Thompson entered a blind plea of guilty to one count of armed robbery with a firearm, a Class X Felony punishable by a sentence of between 21 to 45 years in prison. The case against Ezekiel Thompson is pending. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 17 for status.

About 6:48 p.m., Feb. 1, 2020, Aaron and Ezekiel Thompson, armed and wearing hoods and masks over their faces, entered the Verizon store located at 1104 Ogden Ave. Ezekiel Thompson allegedly pointed a gun at the lone store employee and ordered him to the back of the store where he was told to open a vault containing cellular telephones, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

The two men ordered the store employee, who at one time begged the defendants not to kill him, to fill a duffel bag with cell phones and other electronics. After the employee complied, the men allegedly bound the his arms and legs with zip ties, stole his wallet and car keys and took the duffel bag with them as they fled the scene in the employee’s car which they stole from the parking lot, according to the release.

An investigation led to the men, who were allegedly located in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Woodridge. The duo abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot but were arrested after a brief chase, authorities said.

“It is alleged that without care or concern for the rule of law, Aaron Thompson and his cousin armed themselves with a gun, disguised their identity and threatened at gunpoint an innocent store employee to the point of forcing the employee to literally beg for his life,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “I cannot begin to imagine the fear that employee must have experienced as he looked down the barrel of a loaded gun.”