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Man Jumps O'Hare Ticket Counter, Tries To Rob Employee with Scissors: Court

By Erica Demarest | October 1, 2015 6:42am | Updated on October 1, 2015 7:50am
 Edwin Sanchez, 32, told police he needed money and
Edwin Sanchez, 32, told police he needed money and "American Airlines has a lot of money," police said.
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Flickr/kalantziscope; Chicago Police Department

COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A man tried to rob American Airlines this week by borrowing scissors from an O'Hare employee and trying to attack her with them, prosecutors said.

Edwin Sanchez, 32, told police he'd been planning the attack for weeks because he needed money and "American Airlines has a lot of money. I was going to rob the whole American Airlines and work my way down the line," according to an arrest report.

Sanchez on Tuesday walked up to a 55-year-old woman working at an American Airlines ticket counter at O'Hare International Airport and asked if he could borrow scissors, Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti said during a bond hearing Wednesday.

After the woman handed Sanchez the scissors, prosecutors said, he hopped over the counter — stepping over the metal area where passengers weigh the baggage they're checking.

Armed with the pair of white plastic-handled scissors, Sanchez demanded money from the woman, court records show.

He told police he was only intending to use the scissors "if I had to" and would've punched the 55-year-old woman "if she had no money," the arrest report said.

When officers quickly arrested Sanchez about 6 p.m. Tuesday, they asked him how he was planning to get away, the report said. Sanchez told police he would've walked down the escalator, changed his shirt and escaped on the train.

No one was injured. American Airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Sanchez, who lives in Washington, D.C., was charged with attempted armed robbery using a dangerous weapon. On Wednesday, Cook County Judge James Brown set bail at $50,000 for Sanchez.

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