Charges filed in construction crew robbery, but suspect says he was ‘getting drunk and high in California’ at the time

Chicago police have made a breakthrough in the case of a series of armed robberies targeting construction workers on the city’s South Side. Dontrell Davis, an 18-year-old man, has been charged in connection with one of the ten incidents that occurred between January and April of this year. The police issued several community alerts during this period, including video footage of a suspect captured at one of the crime scenes.

The charges against Dontrell Davis stem from a robbery that took place on April 11 in the 7600 block of South Marshfield. The incident occurred around 11:24 a.m. when four construction workers reported being held at gunpoint by a masked assailant who then stole their wallets after forcing them into a garage.

According to a CPD document, surveillance video placed Davis in the vicinity of the construction site before the robbery took place. Investigators were able to identify him as a suspect by examining his Facebook page, which allegedly contained incriminating images of him wearing attire similar to that of the robber and posing with firearms.

Following his arrest at his residence, law enforcement officers allegedly discovered a firearm on the floor of a closet in Davis’s home. Despite denying any involvement in the crime and claiming to have been in California consuming alcohol and drugs at the time of the robbery, Davis was charged with robbery and kidnapping. Prosecutors pointed to his prior record of juvenile adjudications for violent offenses and his status on pretrial release for a separate case at the time of the robbery to justify his detention pending trial.

While Davis’s arrest marks a significant development in the case, the authorities are still investigating the other nine robberies linked to the same pattern. These incidents occurred in various locations on the South Side between January and April. Anyone with information related to these unsolved cases is urged to contact Area Two detectives at 312-747-8273.