A Chicago man is facing felony charges in connection with an armed robbery at Evanston’s Relax Spa on the 300 block of Howard Street, according to a news release from the Evanston Police Department.
Police arrested Gary May Jr., 25, of the 4700 block of South Union Avenue, Chicago, along with two other suspects, and accused him of robbing the spa of $1,500 and assaulting an employee July 18, shortly after 1 a.m.
The Cook County state’s attorney’s office has since charged May Jr. with two Class X felony counts of armed robbery with a firearm, two Class X felony counts of aggravated kidnapping while armed with a dangerous weapon and two Class 3 felony counts of aggravated unlawful restraint.
The armed robbery reportedly occurred after one offender entered the business and requested massage services before allowing the other two offenders inside the front entrance, according to police.
During the robbery, one suspect reportedly grabbed a spa employee by the throat and forced her into a bathroom before having her use her iPhone’s facial recognition feature to unlock the phone and access banking information, according to Evanston police Commander Ken Carter.
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Police did not specify what role in the robbery May Jr. played.
The offenders fled with about $1,500 in business proceeds, $600 belonging to a spa employee, an iPhone and two credit cards, the news release said.
Officers responded to a delayed police report at approximately 3:38 a.m. July 18 and conducted an extensive follow-up investigation of the robbery, including review of surveillance video, financial and digital evidence, witness information and other leads, Carter said.
As a result of the investigation, officers developed probable cause to detain May Jr. and obtained a state’s attorney’s office warrant for his arrest Sept. 1, according to the news release.
Officers located May Jr. on the 500 block of West 44th Place, Chicago, Sept. 8, at approximately 2:02 p.m. and took him into custody, Carter said.
May Jr. appeared at the Skokie Courthouse, 5600 Old Orchard Road, on Sept. 11 for his detention hearing, where he was ordered by a judge to remain in custody.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 6 at 9 a.m. at the Skokie Courthouse.
Police said the armed robbery remains under active investigation. Anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to contact Evanston police.
An arrest does not constitute a conviction.