Police: Two charged with armed robbery of Romeoville gas station

A man and a woman have been charged with robbing a Romeoville gas station about two weeks before the man’s arrest in Joliet, in which he was accused of driving a vehicle at officers who were trying to apprehend him outside a grocery store.

Martin Craig, 34, who’s been on parole since Sept. 20, and Rebecca Cortez, 34, both were charged on Monday with the April 10 armed robbery of Speedway gas station, 701 N. Independence Boulevard, Romeoville.

Detectives identified Cortez as the suspect who entered the gas station and sprayed an employee with a Mace spray, Romeoville Deputy Police Chief Brant Hromadka said. Craig was identified as the suspect who gathered cigarettes at the Speedway while Cortez took the employee’s wallet.

Following the robbery, Craig and Cortez fled on foot to a vehicle parked at a nearby business, Hromadka said. The pair were captured on surveillance video.

Craig and Cortez were arrested on April 22 over an unrelated incident.

On that day, Joliet police officers tried to arrest Craig on a Grundy County warrant while he was inside of a vehicle at the parking lot of Sunshine Food Mart, 806 Wilcox St., Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English said.

Craig drove his vehicle at multiple officers, who had to jump out of the way, and then struck several vehicles, including an unmarked vehicle, while he fled the scene.

English said officers found Craig at a Crest Hill residence with several other people.

Craig was arrested and then indicted on charges of aggravated fleeing, criminal damage to police vehicles, aggravated assault of a police officer and several drug charges over the April 22 incident.

While officers were at the Crest Hill residence on April 22, they arrested Cortez on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, English said. Court records do not show that she has not been formally charged with those offenses.

Craig and Cortez were taken to the Will County jail on April 22. Craig remains in jail while Cortez was released on April 26.