4 charged with series of armed robberies in Chicago; top cop says they could be tied to 'dozens' more

CHICAGO - Four men who arrested after a police chase and a fiery crash in Ravenswood have been charged with a series of armed robberies, and Chicago’s top cop said Wednesday they’re suspected of committing "dozens" more.

Marcus Carter, 20, Marchelo Hicks, 21, Marquise Green, 20 and Dashun McGraw, 19, were each charged with four counts of armed robbery with a firearm, four counts of aggravated robbery with a firearm and four counts of robbery.

Carter, Green and Hicks were also charged with one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.

The arrests came the same day that police issued a community alert about 50 armed robberies in several neighborhoods between last Wednesday and Saturday. Brown said investigators believe the four suspects may be responsible for all of them.

Clockwise: Marquise Green, Marcus Carter, Dashun McGraw and Marchelo Hicks | Chicago police

"It’s a nation of laws. We’ve got to put together the cases to prove that these were the offenders," Brown said while also noting that police "believe that these are the guys."

In each robbery, victims lost their phones, wallets, or personal belongings. The victims were all either in or near their cars, or walking on the sidewalk.

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The group robbed a 22-year-old man at gunpoint at 3:15 a.m. Monday in the 2400 block of West Berwyn Avenue, police said. A few minutes later, they held up a 42-year-old man in the 4300 block of North Leavitt Street.

Two of the other robberies took place in the North Center neighborhood. A 35-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint around 10:26 a.m. in the 2100 block of North Claremont Avenue.

Thirteen minutes later, the group robbed another 35-year-old man in the 4100 block of North Wolcott Avenue.

The police pursuit began when officers saw "a potential robbery," according to Cmdr. Joseph Brennan. Sgt. Syed Quadri said the chase was authorized based on "escalating violence" and a report that "a woman was pistol-whipped" that morning.

The suspects fled in a stolen Hyundai that crashed into a city vehicle the 5100 block of North Oakley Avenue, police said. They ran off but were found hiding in a nearby garage, Brown said, adding that three guns were recovered.

Brennan said the suspects had been "moving at a speed that was tough to catch up to them," though he noted that police were aware they lived in the Near West Police District. Officials said the arrests were the result of coordination between multiple police districts, strong video evidence and help from the community and a police helicopter.

"It took a little bit to get that coordination together," Brennan said. "You know that they’re traveling at a high rate of speed, they flee all the time, they’re armed with weapons. It’s a dangerous situation for the public [and] it’s dangerous for out officers. But that being said, our guys were up to the challenge."

Carter and Hicks will be held with no bail. They are expected in court on Dec. 21. The other two defendants are scheduled to appear in Central Bond Court on Thursday at noon. 

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.