SOUTH LOOP — Five teenagers have been charged with robbing a man at gunpoint this week in the South Loop, police said.
A 28-year-old man was riding his bicycle about 8 p.m. Tuesday in an alley off the 1000 block of South State Street when he found himself surrounded by four teenagers, one of whom pulled a gun and started searching the victim's bag and pockets, police said. A fifth boy served as a lookout.
Police said they caught the boys later that night "a short distance away," recovering a handgun and the victim's belongings.
Emmanuel Macareno, 18, of the 4700 block of South Springfield Avenue, was charged with one felony count of armed robbery. Marco Rodriguez, 18, of the 4400 block of South Homan Avenue, and two boys also were charged with felony armed robbery.
A fifth boy was charged with felony armed robbery and felony unlawful use of a weapon, a misdemeanor count of firearm possession without identification, and a misdemeanor count of ammunition possession without identification, police said.
A man claiming to be the victim took to Reddit on Wednesday morning to share news of the ordeal. He said the robbers took his phone, laptop for work, wallet and iPad.
"This was the first time I had a gun at my chest. I watched the police process it. [The gun] was so big, I half-thought it was fake," the man wrote.
A police source confirmed the Redditor's account that the suspects were found at a nearby Subway just 20 minutes after the robbery was reported.
"I saw the charge pending on my card's account," the Redditor wrote.
Police did not disclose what was stolen.
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