A man from Rogers Park has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after admitting to a series of armed robberies that targeted businesses on the North Side and nearby suburbs in May 2024.
Saul Esquivel, 20, confessed to committing four robberies and a burglary as part of a plea deal. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed several other charges, although Chicago police believed he was involved in additional crimes.
Esquivel’s capture occurred after police from Skokie and Lincolnwood arrested him following his escape from a stolen vehicle. Investigators swiftly connected him to the robbery spree.
The Chicago Police Department accused Esquivel of collaborating with another armed individual to rob a 26-year-old cashier at a store located in the 4500 block of North Kedzie Avenue on May 13, 2024. Shortly thereafter, he and another suspect allegedly attempted to rob a Subway restaurant at 3348 West Lawrence Avenue. However, they were frightened off by a security guard who interrupted the robbery.
Esquivel was further implicated in a robbery at A&P Food and Liquor at 1968 West Peterson during the same week. Several other robberies were reported in the vicinity around the dates of May 9 and May 13, purportedly involving two armed men targeting businesses, including a Subway on the same block as A&P.
According to Skokie police, Esquivel attempted to rob a 7-Eleven in the 7900 block of North Crawford around 12:35 a.m. on May 14, shortly after the attempted robbery at the Lawrence Avenue Subway. He left the scene empty-handed.
On March 19, Judge Paul Pavlus sentenced Esquivel to several concurrent terms: two 20-year terms for armed robbery, 10 years for attempted armed robbery, 10 years for possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and six years for burglary. A week later, Judge James Novy imposed a concurrent 20-year sentence for another armed robbery, as indicated by court records.
Esquivel must serve at least half of his 20-year sentence, projecting his release in 2034. However, records from the Illinois Department of Corrections initially indicated a release in 2029 after serving just five years. CWB Chicago inquired with the IDOC for clarification but did not receive a response. The release date has since been adjusted to February 6, 2034.
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