Two Men Sought in Armed Robbery At O'Reilly Auto Parts

An employee was struck and knocked to the floor during an apparent armed robbery Wednesday morning at , 60 S. Weber Road, according to police.

Romeoville Assistant Police Chief Steven Lucchesi said the manager was alone in the store around 7 a.m. Wednesday when he was approached by two men who appeared to have come from the women’s restroom. Police said the manager believed the men might have been hiding in the restroom after entering the store during an early-morning delivery.

“There was a delivery made at 5 a.m.,” Lucchesi said. “(The manager) is theorizing that these two men entered the store unnoticed,” then waited for an employee to arrive.

After demanding money, one of the men implied that he had a gun, police said, but did not display a weapon.

“He had a hand in the pocket of his sweatshirt and indicated that he had a gun,” Lucchesi said.

The manager told police that after he removed money from the safe, one of the robbers struck him in the stomach, knocking him to the floor.

The bandits exited the store through the back door, Lucchesi said. The manager didn't know whether they fled on foot or drove away.

“He just knew they ran out the back door,” Lucchesi said. “What happened after that, he had no idea.”

Lucchesi would not disclose how much money was stolen by the thieves.

The victim described the men as African-Americans in their early 20s, both about 6 feet tall and 200 pounds. One was wearing a zip-up red hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and black shoes and may have had dreadlocks, he said. The other was described as a wearing a black pullover sweatshirt and acid-washed blue jeans that were lighter in color on the front than on the back. The second suspect is the one who claimed to be carrying a weapon, according to police.

Lucchesi asked anyone who has information about the incident to contact the Romeoville Police Department at 815-886-7219.

“All I can say at this point is it’s under investigation,” he said.

The bandits are the second pair of armed robbers to strike a Romeoville business in less than two weeks. On March 3, police said with duct tape before making off with $16,000 in cash.