COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A teenager charged with robbing cyclists on North Avenue Beach took off his Batman shirt after the incident, possibly so his alleged victims wouldn't be able to recognize him, prosecutors said.
But it didn't work, officials said, and the victims later pointed him out to police.
Three women from Cincinnati — ages 25, 26 and 27 — had rented a four-person "bike chariot" and were riding it on the lakefront path along Lake Shore Drive on Saturday afternoon when they came upon a large crowd of 20 to 30 people at North Avenue Beach, court documents show.
Some members of the crowd started jumping on and off of the chariot and harassing the women, who were yelling at them to get off, prosecutors said. At one point, one member of the crowd allegedly groped the buttocks of one of the women, court documents said.
Keith Clough, 17, of the 9300 block of South Perry Avenue, then grabbed an iPhone from one of the women, prosecutors said. Clough allegedly took off running down the bike path with the phone.
The victim ran after Clough, prosecutors said. But he managed to get away.
It was a short time later, when police were on the scene interviewing victims, that Clough allegedly returned to the beach shirtless, attempting to blend into the crowd.
Even without the easy-to-identify top, the victims recognized Clough and pointed him out to police, prosecutors said. He was arrested, but the iPhone was not recovered, officials said.
Clough was charged with robbery. He appeared in court Monday wearing the Batman shirt.
Cook County Judge Laura Sullivan ordered Clough held in lieu of $60,000 bond.
