Teen charged with Joliet attempted armed robbery of two victims

A man has been charged with attempted robbery of two other people who met with him in Joliet to buy a used vehicle, police said.

On Dec.28, Will County Judge Sherri Hale signed a $100,000 bond warrant for the arrest of Deandre Robinson, 18, of Joliet, on a charge of attempted armed robbery, attempted aggravated robbery, aggravated unlawful weapon use and unlawful firearm possession.

Robinson was identified by police as the suspect in the a Dec. 20 attempted robbery of two other men.

Officers first responded to the incident at 8:54 p.m. that day in the 800 block of Caton Avenue, according to Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English.

Officers determined two people who had come to Joliet to complete a Facebook Marketplace transaction for a used Nissan Murano for $4,500, English said.

“The victims had communicated through Facebook with a female’s profile prior to agreeing to meet,” English said.

When the two victims arrived at Caton Avenue and began looking for the vehicle, a man later identified as Robinson had approached the two with paperwork in his hand, according to English.

“After a brief conversation about the vehicle, the suspect produced a handgun and pointed it at the victims, demanding their money,” English said.

The two victims retreated back to their vehicle and Robinson ran from the area.

After detectives identified Robinson as the suspect, they attempted to apprehend him at his Joliet residence on Tuesday, English said.

While detectives were able to recover the 9 mm handgun allegedly used in the incident, they were not able to find Robinson.

The Joliet Police Department has two locations under surveillance for people who want to conduct internet sales in a safe manner.

The first location is at the lobby vestibule of the Joliet Police department at 150 W. Washington St., and the second location is at the department’s west substation parking lot, 7196 Caton Farm Road.