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2 teens charged in Chicago armed robbery at nail salon, police say
Two teenagers are facing felony charges after Chicago police say they robbed a Pilsen nail salon at gunpoint over the weekend.
CHICAGO - Two teenagers are facing felony charges after Chicago police say they robbed a Pilsen nail salon at gunpoint over the weekend.
The robbery happened Saturday evening at Mermaid Spa Nail Salon in the 1700 block of West 18th Street.
What we know:
The salon’s owner, Nereida Aparicio, says the entire ordeal happened quickly and left her shaken.
"It was really fast everything and I was scared," Aparicio said.
Aparicio says the teens ages 13 and 14 walked into the salon as she was closing for the day. One of them asked for change. When she refused, the suspects accused her of being racist.
She says when she opened the register to get change, one of the teens tried to grab the money and run. Aparicio says she fought back until the suspect pulled out a knife and lifted his sweater to reveal a gun.
"When he pushed me, he hurt my hands," Aparicio said.
Moments after the suspects fled, Aparicio realized one of them had left behind a cellphone.
She locked the doors and called police. Minutes later, the same teen returned trying to get the phone back.
According to the owner’s daughter, the teen smashed the front door and tried forcing his way inside.
"Outside witnesses were trying to hold him back and he was just so adamant about getting back his phone," said Rubi Carmona.
Although the salon’s security cameras were not working at the time, the owners say photos of the teens returning to the scene helped police quickly track them down.
According to the owner, the suspects also attempted to rob other nearby businesses.
Both teens were arrested the same day and appeared in court Monday. They are facing felony charges.
The salon owners say they are now working on upgrading their security systems.