Detroit man, 25, charged in Oakbrook Center robbery

Police believe this Jeep Liberty was stolen by three men who tried to rob a jewelry store Sunday at Oakbrook Center mall in Oak Brook. Police found the vehicle abandoned less than a half-mile from the mall Monday morning, authorities said. Courtesy Oakbrook Terrace Police

A Detroit man who was shot after he tried to rob a jewelry store at Oakbrook Center was charged with felony attempted armed robbery this morning, authorities said.

Bond for Levert Jones, 25, was set at $500,000 by DuPage County Judge Robert Douglas in DuPage County jail bond court, DuPage County State's Attorney Robert B. Berlin said in a news release.

Jones was shot by a security guard at Oakbrook after he and two accomplices tried to rob the C.D. Peacock jewelry store with a sledgehammer, authorities said.

Six employees and 10 customers were inside the store when the men came in. Jones smashed a glass display with a handheld sledgehammer he had tucked in his waistband and covered with his shirt, authorities said.

A store security guard ordered Jones to lie down on the floor, Berlin said. Jones initially complied, but attempted to run away when the guard tried to handcuff him. After a brief struggle, the guard shot Jones in the abdomen, Berlin said.

The other two men fled during the confrontation and remain at large.

Police said the men might have spent hours staking out the mall, based on food receipts and surveillance footage.

The next morning, authorities located a Jeep they believe the men stole from a mall worker and planned to use for their getaway. The Jeep was left outside an office building less than a half-mile from the shopping center.

Jones had been under police guard at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, where he underwent surgery earlier this week.

His next court appearance is scheduled for July 22 for arraignment in front of Judge Blanche Hill Fawell, Berlin said. Should Jones post bond, he will be required to wear a GPS monitoring device.

"The allegations against Mr. Jones and his accomplices are outrageous," Berlin said in the release. "This type of brazen behavior will not be tolerated in DuPage County and will be met with the full force of the law. "

Police identified the missing suspects as black men in their late 20s or early 30s. One was described as heavyset, 5 feet 9 inches tall and 230 pounds with a tattoo on the right side of his neck and wearing a black T-shirt. The other was described as 5 feet 11 inches tall and 160 pounds with a "heavy beard" and wearing a white T-shirt.

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