A 19-year-old has been charged with aggravated robbery after an Hispanic man he was trying to rob grabbed a long pole and whacked him with it.
Pedro Francisco-Pedro said after he hit the would-be-robber, the gunman ran off and two other associates went with him.
Police arrested Labron Clifton Kirkwood after he showed up at the Parkridge Hospital emergency room with a large laceration on his face and a square-shaped injury to his face. A blue shirt that was covered in blood was lying on a table.
Mr. Francisco-Pedro said he and friend Mateo Ramon were sitting on the front porch at 1611 S. Willow St. on Monday when three black males ran around the corner and confronted them.
He said one who was wearing a blue shirt, shorts and a black hat pulled a silver revolver and demanded money.
He said he replied that he did not have any money. He said he then was able to grab the board from his porch railing and strike the gunman in the face.
The gunman dropped his hat as he fled.
Mr. Ramon was able to take a picture of the gunman with the blue shirt with his cell phone camera, police said.
Police said Kirkwood first said he had been hurt in a basketball game, then he said he was fighting with some Hispanics, but not trying to rob them.
He gave the names of two people he said were with him and said one of them had a silver revolver.
Kirkwood said he ran home and got a ride to the hospital.
Both of the victims identified Kirkwood as the one with the handgun.
Police have not been able to make arrests of the other two robbers.