Police: Witness helps nab suspect robbing woman at gunpoint

A parolee suspected of robbing several women at gunpoint on the Southwest Side was arrested Thursday after a good Samaritan heard a victim's cry for help and flagged down police, who arrested the man within minutes.

Police claim Rondale Jett had a gun when he allegedly approached the 48-year-old woman in the 6100 block of South Spaulding Avenue and tried to rob her, according to police News Affairs.

When she yelled for help, a citizen went to her aid and reportedly saw Jett run to a black vehicle, police said. Seconds later, the Samaritan flagged down Chicago Lawn district officers on routine patrol, directing them to the car just around the corner.

Officers arrested Jett one block away, just minutes after the alleged robbery attempt, and found a gun on him during a search, police said.

Detectives later connected Jett to several armed robberies in the area dating back to Dec. 23 of last year, police said. He allegedly approached women and demanded money while armed with a handgun -- in one instance choking a woman, police say.

Victims in those cases positively identified Jett, who is scheduled to appear for a bond hearing later Saturday, police said. He is charged with five counts of armed robbery, one count of aggravated attempted robbery and one count of robbery.

Jett had been on parole since February 2012 after serving a four-year sentence for felony misuse of a credit card in Will County in 2010, Illinois Department of Correction Records show.

His criminal history stretches back to 1993, according to IDOC records. He was previously convicted of residential burglary and theft in Cook County. Jett had also been convicted in Kane County of armed robbery, and of possessing, manufacturing and delivering contraband substances, records indicate.