COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A 15-year-old boy robbed his neighbor at gunpoint on Saturday when the man accused him of trying to unload a fake $20 bill, prosecutors said.
Jesus Casteneda, 15, saw the neighbor walking near the intersection of 63rd Street and Francisco on his way to buy a pack of cigarettes, said Cook County State's Attorney Melissa Samp. Casteneda, who allegedly knows the man, approached and asked if he had "change for a $20 bill."
The neighbor handed Casteneda two $5 bills and a $10 bill, but when he looked closely at the $20 bill, he realized it was fake, Samp said.
When the neighbor demanded his money back, Casteneda allegedly pulled out a chrome-colored gun and aimed it at the man's chest, Samp said.
He took the neighbor's wallet and ran.
Casteneda, of the 4300 block of West 63rd Street, was arrested Wednesday afternoon in the 7500 block of South Phillips Avenue, about 10 miles from his home address, police said.
Prosecutors said Casteneda was on probation for unauthorized use of a weapon and has previously been convicted of criminal damage to property.
A sophomore at South Central High School, Casteneda was ordered held on $250,000 bond Thursday on a charge of adult felony armed robbery.
