A Crystal Lake man faces robbery and battery charges after allegedly taking a woman’s purse from a shopping cart at a Downers Grove grocery store.
Maximus Herman, 21, of the 300 block of Terra Cotta Avenue, appeared in court Nov. 28 and Judge Joshua Dieden granted the state’s petition to deny pretrial release.
About 5:30 p.m. Nov. 27, Downers Grove police responded to a call of a robbery that had taken place in the parking lot of the Shop & Save Market, 7241 Lemont Road.
After an investigation, officials determined that an individual, later identified as Herman, approached the victim, who was shopping with her purse in the shopping cart. Herman allegedly took the woman’s purse out of the shopping cart and ran out of the store with the victim following him, according to a news release from the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Herman was unable to enter a waiting vehicle in the parking lot and a struggle for the purse ensued between Herman and the victim, during which time the victim fell and bruised her elbow. Herman then pulled the purse away from the victim and ran off with it.
As he ran away from the woman, Herman was tackled in the parking lot by an off-duty Illinois State Police trooper. Downers Grove police officers then arrested Herman, according to the release.
“It is alleged that Mr. Herman robbed an innocent woman of her purse while she was shopping at a local market,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “The type of brazen behavior allegedly exhibited by Mr. Herman will not be tolerated in DuPage County.
“I want to remind the public to always be aware of your surroundings, particularly during the busy holiday shopping season. We are all thankful that the victim in this case was not seriously injured.”
Herman is next scheduled to appear in court for arraignment Dec. 18.