Chicago Man Charged Over Wilmette Armed Robbery Was On Probation: Cops

WILMETTE, IL — Prosecutors may seek additional charges against the man who crashed a stolen SUV into Sheridan Road condominium while fleeing police Tuesday, authorities said.

Bobby Murdock, 20, of the 1100 block of North Lawler Avenue, Chicago, has so far been charged with armed robbery and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, according to Wilmette police and Cook County prosecutors. He remained hospitalized Thursday.

Murdock is accused of being the getaway driver for a 16-year-old and 17-year-old who robbed a 63-year-old woman who was walking along Central Avenue between 4th and 5th streets at gunpoint.

While the teenage pair were trying to unlock the woman's phone, a witness across the street noticed the commotion and shone a flashlight toward the scene. The witness called 911 and the woman ran across the street. Part of the robbery is audible on the recording of the call, according to prosecutors.

Murdock then pulled up in a stolen GMC from Winnetka on Sunday and sped away once both of the boys got inside, authorities said. Police gave chase down 10th Street, but Murdock lost control once they got to Sheridan Road and flipped over the car.

Police and prosecutors said a single bullet was fired from inside the GMC. At the time, one of the officers was about 30 feet away as video captured the gunshot shattering the SUV's windshield, according to the state's attorney's office.

The Glock .380 later found in the car was jammed, prosecutors said. It was one of two guns police reported finding inside the car.

The 17-year-old Chicago boy has been charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, but neither Murdock nor the two teens have been charged in connection with the gunshot, which police said was fired in the direction of approaching officers.

"The Police Department will seek additional charges against the adult offender upon further analysis of available physical evidence," department representatives said in a statement.

Authorities said the 17-year-old was on electronic home monitoring at the time of the arrest after pleading guilty to a robbery charge in juvenile court several days earlier. After he was taken into custody, officers found the GMC's key fob in his underwear, and his electronic home monitoring bracelet was covered in aluminum foil, according to prosecutors.

At the time of his arrest, Murdock was on probation for a firearm-related conviction, according to police and prosecutors.

Last October, Murdock was arrested about a mile from his home last October and charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon for having an unlicensed gun, according to Chicago police arrest records.

At a court hearing Thursday, a judge ordered Murdock to remain in custody unless he can post the $35,000 cash portion of his bond for the armed robbery and stolen car charges. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office has also filed a request to revoke his probation due to the recent arrest.

Earlier: Armed Robber Shoots At Officers In Wilmette, 3 Arrested, Police Say

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Read more: 2 Teens, 1 Adult Charged Over Wilmette Armed Robbery

Village President Senta Plunkett thanked Wilmette police for their courage, judgment and restraint in handling the situation. In a message to the community, she said officers have experienced an uptick in armed criminals coming to North Shore towns in stolen cars who elude traffic stops.

"We are grateful that the victim and the officers involved were not physically harmed," Plunkett said. "Events like these, however, are emotionally damaging to the victims, the police officers, and the entire community."

Plunkett encouraged residents to stop leaving their keys inside their unlocked cars, as was the case in nine of the 10 car thefts in the village in the past couple of months.

The village president also noted that Wilmette is considering installing one or more automatic license plate readers, or ALPR.

"One of the benefits of this technology is its ability to alert police officers of stolen vehicles as they enter our community, thereby providing officers an opportunity to act before another crime can be committed," Plunkett said.

According to a presentation from a June meeting of the village board's public safety committee, ALPR technology has helped identify cars involved in several high-profile recent north suburban police incidents, including a November 2021 mass shooting in Evanston, ATMs stolen from Wilmette businesses and the homicide of a 9-year-old Skokie boy earlier this year, among other incidents.

Assistant Village Manager Erik Hallgren said staff are finalizing an internal review of the policy, guidelines and implementation of the program and plan to have another presentation at a public safety committee meeting by the end of next month.

"Additionally, ALPR’s will be reviewed as part of the Village’s capital program, which will be reviewed by the Village Board towards the end of September," Hallgren told Patch in an email.

More than 100 agencies in the Chicagoland area have implemented license plate readers, according to village staff. Kenilworth, Skokie, Northbrook, Niles, Morton Grove and Chicago have implemented the systems already. Glencoe, Lake Forest, Highland Park and Winnetka were, as of June, in the process of doing so.

In addition to assisting with tracking down stolen cars or vehicles involved in crimes, police said ALPR technology can also help identify cars associated with missing people or Amber and Silver alerts.