A CTA rider who tracked his stolen iPhone to a Joliet address helped Chicago police unravel a pair of transit robberies that prosecutors say were committed by a repeat offender already on felony pretrial release. Alphanso Carter, 34, is charged with two counts of robbery in connection with separate robberies that occurred within about 30 minutes of each other nearly a year ago, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said the first robbery happened in the 3800 block of South Archer Avenue, where a 74-year-old man was riding a CTA bus when someone approached him, wrestled away his iPhone, and ran away. The victim was interviewed by detectives nearly two weeks later and told them he had been tracking the stolen phone to an address in Joliet, prosecutors said.
As part of the investigation, Chicago police issued a community alert that included CTA surveillance images of the robbery suspect. Detectives then reviewed recent CPD arrests involving people who listed Joliet addresses — a search that turned up 15 names, including Carter, prosecutors said…