Man accused of 3 gaming store stickups says he needed cash to get a commercial driver’s license

Man Arrested for Robbing Gaming Stores to Fund Commercial Driver’s License

A 25-year-old man named Aaron Brown has been arrested and charged with three counts of aggravated robbery after allegedly robbing three gaming stores on the Southwest Side of Chicago. Brown was caught red-handed as he tried to pawn off PlayStation controllers he had stolen less than two hours earlier, according to prosecutors.

According to reports, Brown told detectives that he was trying to raise money for a commercial driver’s license. The series of robberies began on June 27 when Brown targeted a store called Back in the Game on South Cicero Avenue. After his credit card was declined, Brown allegedly threatened the clerk and walked out with a PlayStation, two controllers, and a game.

Just a few hours later, Brown went to a GameStop location and sold the stolen PlayStation after presenting his state ID. On July 11, he allegedly robbed another GameStop store by implying he had a gun and making off with 30 controllers for various gaming systems and two games, all captured on store surveillance.

The most recent robbery took place on July 14 at the same GameStop location, where Brown once again implied he had a gun and demanded all the store’s PlayStation controllers, leaving with a dozen controllers and three video games.

A witness provided police with a picture of the vehicle Brown used to flee the scene, along with its license plate number. The vehicle was registered to Brown, and officers were able to track it to a pawnshop where Brown was attempting to sell seven PlayStation controllers. Surveillance video confirmed his involvement in the robbery.

After being arrested, Brown admitted to committing the robberies in order to get cash for his CDL. Judge Rivanda Doss Beal ordered Brown to be held pending trial and revoked his pretrial release in a separate case from February, where he faces charges of aggravated battery, resisting arrest, and unlawful possession of cannabis by a driver.

This original reporting is made possible by our readers. Support our work by clicking here.