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Ex-Sky Squad Aerial Entertainer Leaps Over Counter, Robs Restaurant: Police

By  Erin Meyer and Darryl Holliday | August 19, 2014 8:56am 

 A witness recounted the terrifying experience Monday as she ended her shift at the site.
A witness recounted the terrifying experience Monday as she ended her shift at the site.
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DNAinfo/Darryl Holliday

COOK COUNTY COURTHOUSE — A former entertainer with the Sky Squad — an "aerial ensemble" that performs acrobatic dunks during WNBA games and other sporting events — leaped over the counter of a restaurant in West Humboldt Park, grabbed $500 out of the register and fled, authorities said.

But a sweatshirt pulled over his face fell down, allowing a witness to recognize him as a regular at the restaurant, authorities said. The witness said she was mopping the floor when the teen hopped the counter, chased a co-worker and pressed a gun to his head.

Pherris Harrington, 18, of the 1300 block of North Waller Street, used to work for the Sky Squad, which performs at games of the WNBA's Chicago Sky and other sporting events, police and a squad official said.

On July 28, Harrington allegedly hopped over the counter of ChiTown Chicken, Seafood and Pizza, 4154 W. Chicago Ave., prosecutors said Monday.

After taking the cash, the gunman allegedly grabbed a worker and yelled at another to get out of a bathroom, where she was was trying to hide, the witness said.

The witness said she briefly thought about trying to overpower the "the skinny little kid," but thought better of it.

"I started to look around for something to pick up," the witness said. Instead, she said she opted for a safer route — hiding in the nearby bathroom until the danger had passed.

But, "he told me 'come out or I'll shoot,' " the employee said.

"I was shook up for a couple days," she said.

The shirt Harrington used in an attempt to hide his identity fell down on his way out, allowing a witness to get a glimpse of his face, prosecutors said. 

One witness  later found his picture on Facebook. In the photo, Harrington was holding the same gun he'd used in the robbery, prosecutors said.  

Harrington was later identified and charged. At the time of his arrest, he was in jail on a separate charge, although details of that charge couldn't immediately be obtained Monday.

Prosecutors said Monday when Harrington appeared briefly in court that he has been previously convicted of robbery and unauthorized use of a weapon. 

A police report said Harrington was an "entertainer" who worked for the  "Chicago basketball Sky Squad."

A Chicago Sky spokeswoman confirmed Monday that Harrington had been a contract employee but she said he had not worked for the organization for two years. She said the organization had no record of him ever appearing in a live performance.

A Cook County judge set Harrington's bail at $450,000

 

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