Cook County crime: Federal charges filed in postal carrier robbery, shooting
COOK COUNTY - A Kankakee man has been charged with robbing a postal carrier at gunpoint in Harvey, while a Harvey man faces charges for firing at investigators during the aftermath.
What We Know
An 18-year-old man, Ahmel Holmes, from Kankakee, has been charged with robbing a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier on Jan. 8 in Harvey.
Court documents allege Holmes approached the postal worker on East 158th Street near Union Avenue while armed with a gun equipped with a drum magazine. He reportedly took the carrier’s belongings, accessed her postal vehicle, and stole a USPS mail tub before leaving.

Photo credit: U.S. Attorney’s Office
Shortly after the robbery, U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigators canvassing the area encountered three people in an alley. One of them, 19-year-old Jesus Santillan of Harvey, allegedly fired a gun at the investigators. No one was injured, and the investigators did not fire back.
Authorities arrested Santillan after a foot chase into a nearby home. Holmes was also found in the home and taken into custody.
Holmes has been charged with armed robbery of a postal carrier, a federal offense that could result in a sentence of up to 25 years. Santillan faces charges for using a deadly weapon to assault federal postal inspectors, carrying a potential sentence of up to 20 years.
What’s Next
Holmes is scheduled for a detention hearing on Jan. 14. Santillan has waived his detention hearing and remains in federal custody.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois.