A Chicago man who helped rob two victims at gunpoint in West Town last year and then fired shots into the air as he fled has pleaded guilty and received a 15-year sentence. Esteban Ocampo, 33, received the sentence after pleading guilty to armed robbery before Judge James Obbish, according to court records.
The conviction stems from an early morning attack in January 2024 in which two armed robbers confronted a pair of men who had just stepped out of an Uber on the 400 block of North Ogden Avenue. Prosecutors said Ocampo and Richard Vinet, 49, displayed handguns and took phones, wallets, and a Coach backpack from the men, who were 39 and 52 years old.
Vinet, who prosecutors said was AWOL from parole at the time, held one victim at gunpoint while taking his wallet and phone. Ocampo allegedly robbed the other man and then fired a revolver twice into the air to intimidate the victims and force their compliance.
But Ocampo and Vinet failed to take the younger victim’s Apple Watch. As the robbers ran away, the man used the watch to call 911. Responding officers then used its tracking capabilities to locate the stolen phones in River North…