We’ve learned many new details about an armed robbery spree that, with the help of the Chicago Police Department helicopter, ended with four men in custody last week. Two of the accused men have already spent time in prison for previous robberies.
Altogether, prosecutors and police have linked the men—Datione Coleman, 19; Jeremiah Collins, 21; Kentrell Johnson, 21; and Malik Jones-El, 25—to seven armed robberies committed in just two hours on June 18. Prosecutors stated they operated as a coordinated group, with Jones-El serving as the getaway driver who would eventually try to escape from a police pursuit involving ground and air units.
The events began the night before the robberies, around 10:45 p.m. on June 17, in the 300 block of East 47th Street. Officials said a woman briefly left her keys in the ignition of her Mitsubishi SUV while picking up a food order from a restaurant there. As she walked back to her car, a man jumped into the driver’s seat and sped off. The stolen vehicle was used as the getaway car for the robbery crew the following night.
On June 18, starting at 9:15 p.m., the suspects allegedly struck multiple times, targeting victims across several neighborhoods, often pointing firearms at the victims’ heads while demanding valuables, according to prosecutors…