DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Oak Brook Deputy Chief of Police Robert Christopherson have announced that Judge Anthony Coco has granted the State’s motion to deny pre-trial release for a West Lawn man accused of attempting to rob a man whom he had arranged with to sell two pairs of shoes.
Tajuan Brassel, 18, of the 6300 block of South Kildare, appeared in First Appearance Court, charged with one count of Attempt Armed Robbery (Class 1 Felony).
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Officials said that at 6:34 p.m. Thursday, March 6, Oak Brook police officers responded to a call of an armed robbery in a parking lot in the 2100 block of West 22nd Street. Following an investigation into the matter, they said a man and Brassel arranged to meet in the parking lot--so the man could buy a pair of Balenciaga shoes and a pair of Lavin shoes from Brassel for $350.
Police said the would-be buyer approached Brassel, who was in the driver’s seat of a 2016 Nissan Altima. Once at the car, Brassel allegedly showed him both sets of shoes that were sitting on the passenger seat. Officials said Brassel told the man he would give him the shoes once he received the money and that when the victim had the cash in his hand, Brassel reached inside his jacket with his right hand and pulled out a black handgun with an extended magazine, later determined to be a BB gun, and pointed the gun at the man.
The would-be buyer told police he ran away and called 911 from a nearby store.
At approximately 9:16 p.m., Brassell was located traveling south on the Dan Ryan Expressway near 52nd Street. He was taken into custody by the Illinois State Police and Chicago Police Department near 63rd and the Ryan.
Brassel’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 24 in front of Judge Margaret O’Connell.
“While buying and selling items with someone you met online is increasingly commonplace, there are still risks involved,” Berlin said. “There are simple steps you can take to protect yourself when conducting such transactions such as always meet in a public place during daylight hours, tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return, and keep your cell phone charged and nearby, just to name a few. We are all thankful that the victim in this case was not physically harmed. I thank the Oak Brook Police Department for their outstanding work in identifying the defendant in this case as well as the Illinois State Police and the Chicago Police Department for their work in apprehending Mr. Brassel. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Kevin Kosman and Anna Derkacz for their efforts in preparing charges against Mr. Brassel.”
“This was a very serious incident that will not be tolerated in here in Oak Brook,” Christopherson said. “Our message is clear, if you come to Oak Brook to commit a crime you will be arrested and charged to the fullest extent of the law. We have a motivated team of highly-trained officers working toward keeping Oak Brook safe. I want to commend the responding officers, and detectives for their dedication and hard work in quickly identifying the offender and getting him into custody. I’d also like to thank the agencies that assisted us with this incident, especially the Chicago Police Department. Finally, I’d like to thank State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his team for their assistance and guidance on this case.”
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