Two Men Sentenced to Prison for West Loop Armed Robbery
Two men involved in an armed robbery in the West Loop have been sentenced to prison, with one receiving an 8-year sentence and the other a 20-year sentence.
Simeon Allen, aged 25, received the longer sentence after pleading guilty to armed robbery on Monday. His accomplice, Devonta Thompson, aged 28, had pleaded guilty in January. Both men were sentenced by Judge Adrienne Davis.
The incident took place on October 18, 2023, shortly after 9 p.m. A man and woman were returning to their parked car in the first block of North Green when Thompson and Allen approached them brandishing firearms, demanding their belongings.
Thompson pushed the male victim, aged 39, against a car while both men demanded the couple’s purse, wallets, cash, and phones. The female victim, aged 36, screamed for help, alerting someone in an apartment across the street.
The victims’ car license plate was memorized by one of the victims, which enabled Chicago police to track the vehicle using the citywide network of license plate readers. A CPD helicopter crew located the car as it traveled through the city, leading to the arrest of Thompson and Allen after the vehicle crashed into a parked car in the 100 block of North Hoyne.
Thompson was found with the Chrysler’s key and the male victim’s credit card in his pocket, while his phone was discovered under the car’s driver’s seat. Allen, who had two prior felony gun convictions, was also involved in the robbery. Thompson had a previous conviction for possessing a stolen motor vehicle in 2019.
This incident highlights the importance of swift police response and the collaboration between law enforcement and the community to apprehend perpetrators of violent crimes.
