Bloomingdale man charged in armed gas station robbery attempt: prosecutors

WEST CHICAGO, Ill. - A Bloomingdale man has been charged with attempted armed robbery of a West Chicago gas station, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.

What we know:

Filip Simonovic, 43, appeared at his first court hearing on Wednesday. He was charged with one count of attempted armed robbery with a firearm, one count of unlawful possession of a weapon, three counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of misdemeanor DUI and one count of misdemeanor transportation of open alcohol by a driver.

A West Chicago police officer entered Thornton's gas station, located at 1330 S. Neltnor Boulevard, on May 27 at 1:25 a.m. The officer grabbed drinks from the cooler and went to the counter to purchase them. 

While in line, the clerk claimed Simonovic allegedly pointed a gun at him at the counter. 

(DuPage County State's Attorney's Office)

Officers found two firearms, a loaded Beretta Mod 950BS .25 caliber, with seven rounds in the magazine and a loaded Beretta Mod 92FS 9mm handgun with ten rounds in the magazine on Simonovic. 

Police also noticed Simonovic was wearing body armor under his shirt. Ammunition, three additional firearms including a loaded Ruger revolver .357 magnum, a loaded carbine Zastava M92 and a loaded Smith & Wesson SW9VE 9mm, and open alcohol containers were found in Simonovic's car, according to the state's attorney's office.

Simonovic was taken into custody.

An investigation revealed that Simonovic entered the store to buy cigarettes. It is alleged that as the clerk began to ring them up and told Simonovic the amount, he pulled out the black handgun, racked it, told the clerk "Don't do anything stupid" and demanded the money out of two cash registers.

Next, Simonovic allegedly pulled a second firearm out of his waistband and pointed it at the victim. Simonovic’s BAC was .147 when he was taken into custody, prosecutors said.

Judge Joshua Dieden granted the motion to detain Simonovic pre-trial. 

What they're saying:

"As a society, we must never tolerate or become numb to armed violence," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. "It is alleged that in a botched armed robbery attempt, Mr. Simonovic pointed two loaded weapons at an individual who was working the midnight shift at a local gas station just trying to make an honest living. This type of behavior will not be tolerated in DuPage County and will be met with the full force of the law."

"This incident underscores the real dangers our officers face every day," West Chicago Chief of Police Colin Fleury said. "The offender’s use of a bulletproof vest, along with two handguns, accompanied by two more handguns, an assault-style weapon and a cache of ammunition in his vehicle, serves as a stark reminder that the line between life and death can often come down to sheer luck."

What's next:

Simonovic’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 23.