Off-Duty Cop Nabs Accused Robber in Roscoe Village

An off-duty Chicago Police officer stopped a juvenile armed robber in his tracks this past week, catching him him an alley off North Leavitt Street.

The 15-year-old reportedly stole a worker's purse around 5 p.m. Wednesday at Soo Dry Cleaners in the 2200 block of West Addison Street. That's when Chicago Police Officer John Wrigley, who has earned valor-related awards in the past, stepped in, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

"The 43-year-old off-duty officer was getting ready for work Wednesday afternoon when he heard the screams of a woman being robbed and ran after the 15-year-old crook, arresting him in the Roscoe Village neighborhood," the story said, later adding that the teen walked into the dry cleaners and asked the worker to fix a button on a sweater. " … He grabbed a straight-edged razor from a front counter, then walked behind it and took the woman’s purse, which had $700 in it. While holding the razor in his right hand he told the woman: 'Don’t move; I’ll cut you,' the report said."

He sprinted away with her bag and Wrigley, who lives nearby, entered the dry cleaners and was told of the robbery, the story said. He then allegedly chased the suspect, who was later charged with armed robbery, and detained him in an alley in the 3500 block of North Leavitt Street.

The Chicago Tribune reports:

"'He gave up after he realized I was a police officer,' Wrigley said. 'He just basically stated that he had no money.'" " … The teen told authorities he had been dropped off by someone older than him in a van, and Wrigley said detectives are investigating that possibility."

The purse and money were recovered and given back to the woman, according to the Tribune.