On November 11, 2011 at approximately 11:00pm, officers responded to Carson Pirie Scott located at the Louis Joliet Mall. Police received a 911 call saying the store had been robbed. Upon arrival, officers spoke with store employee Jose Mejia who said as he was closing the store and going to set the alarm, a subject wearing dark clothing and a ski mask approached him and displayed a handgun. The subject forced Mejia to open a safe in the office. Mejia was unable to open the safe, so the subject tied up Mejia with duct tape and then located another female employee who was still in the store. The female employee was brought back to the office where she opened the safe at gunpoint. The subject took approximately $20,000.00 from the safe and fled from the area.
Officers secured the perimeter of the store and eventually made entry with the assistance of two K-9’s who conducted a search. The subject was not located. The bloodhound tracked the subject from the store to behind a nearby business where it lost the scent.
On February 15th, detectives met with an informant who provided information on the identity of the person who perpetrated the robbery along with the name of the subject who provided the gun. Acting on this information, an interview was arranged with the subject who provided the weapon. This person admitted his involvement and gave a videotaped statement. The weapon used, a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson, was recovered at this person’s residence. The name of the getaway driver was also learned through this subject’s interview. Detectives went to the house of the driver, who voluntarily came to the Joliet Police Department. He also gave a videotaped statement admitting his involvement along with identifying the other suspects.
On February 16th, detectives arrested Christian Ibarra, Norma Ibarra, and Jose Mejia (the store employee), all from Joliet. At the Joliet Police Department, both Christian and Norma gave detailed videotaped confessions admitting their involvement along with implicating Jose Mejia as being the person who approached them with a “fool-proof” plan on how they could rob Carson Pirie Scott. Jose asked Norma to participate in the robbery, and she then recruited her brother Christian to be the gunman. Jose provided Christian with a blueprint of where to hide within the store on the night of the crime. Jose also coached them both on how to deny everything if they were ever questioned by the police. Both Christian and Norma received $3,000.00 each after the robbery and Jose got over $4,000.00. Jose Mejia did not admit his involvement in the robbery.
Each of the subjects was charged with armed robbery and aggravated unlawful restraint. Charges for the other individuals involved are pending.