Villa Park man charged in 7-Eleven armed robbery

Bond was set at $350,000 Saturday for a Villa Park man accused robbing at gunpoint a 7-Eleven convenience store.

Cortez Shields, 21, of the 400 block of North 3rd Street, has been charged with one count of armed robbery, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

On May 13, at approximately 10:01 pm, , 911 emergency received a call from the clerk at the 7-Eleven located at 610 N. Addison Road stating that the store had been robbed by two armed individuals.

At approximately 9:58 p.m., Shields and another individual allegedly entered the store armed and wearing masks and gloves. The clerk spoke with one of the individuals, the other individual, later determined to be Shields, walked behind the counter with a handgun in his hand, the release stated.

Shields allegedly pointed the gun at the clerk and ordered him to open the cash drawer. The clerk complied and Shields removed the money from drawer. He then ordered the clerk to open a second cash drawer from which he removed money. Shields and his accomplice fled the scene, according to the release.

An investigation led police to Shields, who was taken into custody June 10 while police were investigating a report of a man with a gun at Shields’ residence.

The investigation continues and anyone with information regarding the armed robbery is asked to Contact Villa ParkDeputy Chief Dan McCann at 630-592-6115.

“It is alleged that Mr. Shields threatened a clerk at gunpoint who was just trying to make an honest living,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.”This type of brazen behavior will not be tolerated in DuPage County. The charges filed in this case today send the message anyone who commits a violent crime in DuPage County will be arrested, charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Thankfully, the clerk was not physically harmed during this alleged incident.”

Shields’ next court appearance is scheduled for June 28 for arraignment.