Store Owner Foils Armed Robbery Attempt

An Oak Forest liquor store owner thwarted an armed robbery on June 4.

Eyad "Eddy" Adbeljalil, 35, of Orland Park had stepped outside for a cigarette when a red van with a loud muffler backed into a parking space near the entrance of Eddy's Food and Liquor, according to an report. Adbeljalil was about to ask the driver to turn off the van when a man came around the van and pulled a handkerchief over his face.

The masked assailant grabbed Adbeljalil's arm, telling him to get back in the store, according to the report. He showed the employee that he had a shotgun tucked into his waistband.

That’s when Adbeljalil then grabbed the armed man and yelled to his brother, Ahmed, that he should “grab the gun,” according to the report. The suspect jumped into the van and took off eastbound on 159th Street.

"Of course your adrenaline is running," Adbeljalil told Patch. "Even though it's happening quickly, it felt like minutes." 

Adbeljalil said they keep a gun in the store for protection. 

Police said the suspect is described as a black man, 20-30 years old approximately 5-feet, 7-inches tall, and was wearing a black ball cap, hooded sweatshirt and black pants. The red van has two windows on the passenger side and what appeared to cages inside. It’s also possible that a second person was inside the van during the incident.

Police Blotter information is provided by the Oak Forest Police Department. Charges are not evidence of guilt. They are a record of police actions taken on a given day, and persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. If you or a family member are charged or cited and the case is subsequently adjudicated, we encourage you to notify the editor. We will verify and report the outcome.

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