COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A South Side man is accused of stashing a loaded gun in a 7-Eleven freezer after using the weapon to rob an Archer Heights GameStop store.
According to prosecutors, Andy Arroyo, 20, chatted with GameStop employees before deciding to buy several games about 7 p.m. July 7. Arroyo counted out cash at the register and said he'd he back with more money.
He returned to the store at 5143 S. Pulaski Road about 8:50 p.m. and sold two used games using a fake Wisconsin ID, Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti said during a bond hearing Wednesday.
That's when Arroyo pulled out a silver gun and robbed the place, prosecutors said.
Employees were able to identify Arroyo, who sold a used game at the store just one day prior, according to Antonietti. Arroyo wore the same hoodie both days, used the same fake ID and was captured on surveillance footage.
He popped up again five days later when Chicago Police officers noticed Arroyo acting "suspicious" at a nearby 7-Eleven, 4353 W. 55th St., according to an arrest report.
Police saw Arroyo open a freezer door, rearrange items for several minutes and eventually leave the store after making a purchase, court records show.
Inside the freezer, police found a loaded gun with eight live rounds and two extra magazines containing 11 live bullets, Antonietti said.
When Arroyo returned to the 7-Eleven about 3 a.m. Tuesday, he opened the freezer door and began searching for his gun, police said. Officers confronted Arroyo, who admitted the "pistol" was his and that he got it from a friend for protection, records show.
Antonietti noted in court that Arroyo doesn't have an FOID card or concealed-carry license.
Arroyo, of the 4100 block of West 57th Street, was charged with armed robbery and unlawful use of a weapon.
According to his public defender, Arroyo works in construction and has a daughter. He has no prior criminal history.
Cook County Judge Laura Sullivan on Wednesday set Arroyo's bail at $275,000.
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