2 men charged after Hodgkins robbery ends in car chase and crash

Levell Fort

By Desplaines Valley News

Two Chicago men were charged with multiple counts of kidnapping and attempted armed robbery after they tried to rob a cell phone store in Hodgkins last week and crashed their car in Bolingbrook after leading police on a high-speed chase.

Authorities said Levell Fort, 20, and Stephen Jakes, 26, were captured in Bolingbrook Thursday night after leading Illinois State Police, Hodgkins Police, Hickory Hills Police and Bolingbrook Police on a chase on Interstate 55 that topped 100 mph.

Stephen Jakes

The men jumped from the car after it collided with another car at Weber and Boughton roads and headed in two separate directions. Both were found after a brief search. One of them was reportedly hiding in a trash bin behind a Chili’s restaurant.

Police said the incident began when the men entered the AT&T store at 9430 Joliet Road and announced a robbery. The men allegedly put a gun to the manager’s head and ordered five customers and two employees to drop their cell phones and go to the back of the store.

Another customer escaped out a back door and the robbers fled when they couldn’t open the door.

One of the customers saw Fort get into a red Oldsmobile Alero and wrote down the license plate number and alerted police.

Hickory Hills police spotted the car and started the chase that lasted about 30 minutes before ending in the crash. No one was injured when the cars collided.

Fort and Jakes were each charged with seven counts of aggravated kidnapping and attempted armed robbery. Fort also was charged with traffic violations by the Bolingbrook police.

Cook County Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil set bail at $500,000 for both men at a bond hearing. Their next court date was set for Wednesday at the Bridgeview courthouse.