Man accused of robbing Downers Grove, Lisle businesses gets 21-year prison sentence

A Chicago man accused of robbing several hundred dollars from two DuPage County businesses in 2000 has been sentenced to 21 years in prison, DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced.

Devonte Johnson, 23, entered a plea of guilty Feb. 23 to two counts of armed robbery in front of Judge Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh, who handed down the sentence.

On Jan. 7, 2020, Johnson appeared in bond court where the presiding judge granted the state’s motion to deny bond. He has been held in custody at the DuPage County Jail since that time.

On Jan. 4, 2020, DuPage County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of an armed robbery at Domino’s Pizza, 5531 Belmont Road, near Downers Grove. Upon the deputies’ arrival, the suspects already had fled the scene, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

Authorities later learned that about 1:29 p.m., two male subjects, one of whom later was identified as Johnson, entered the Domino’s Pizza where Johnson walked behind the counter, pointed a gun at the cashier and ordered the cashier to open the register, according to the release.

After the cashier complied with Johnson’s orders, Johnson and his still unknown accomplice took the money from the register. With the firearm still pointed at the cashier, Johnson ordered the cashier to open the safe. After the cashier complied with Johnson’s orders, Johnson took the money from the safe. Both men then fled the scene in a Mercedes-Benz that had been stolen earlier that day from a location in Bolingbrook, according to the release.

Police also learned that shortly before the armed robbery at the Domino’s Pizza, about 1:19 p.m. that day, two male suspects, one of whom later was identified as Johnson, entered a Dunkin’ located at 4300 Lincoln Avenue, Lisle, where the unidentified accomplice brandished a loaded gun at the cashier and demanded money from the cash register, according to the release. After the clerk complied, the man ordered the cashier to open the safe. After the cashier opened the safe, the two men took money from the safe before fleeing, according to the release.

Later that day, Johnson and several other individuals were involved in a high-speed pursuit in the stolen Mercedes, which ended when the car crashed. After the crash, Johnson fled the scene on foot but was taken into custody a short time later. When processing the scene, authorities found a loaded gun about 400 yards away from the crash, according to the release.

“In DuPage County, we take violent gun crimes very seriously, as Mr. Johnson learned today,” Berlin said in the release. “The fact that Mr. Johnson used a stolen vehicle to commit two armed robberies where he terrorized two individuals who were just trying to make an honest living is extremely disturbing. Thanks to the cooperative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies involved, however, Mr. Johnson’s one-day crime spree will not go unpunished as he now finds himself facing 21 years behind bars.”

Johnson will be required to serve 50% of his sentence before being eligible for parole.