Robbery suspect charged, allegedly wanted cops to shoot him

A 23-year-old armed robbery suspect allegedly told detectives he was suicidal and couldn't kill himself so he went on a crime spree and eventually tried to back his car into detectives hoping they'd shoot and end his life.

"This is an easy decision for me to make," Cook County Judge James Brown said Thursday, ordering Jesus Rosas to be held without bail after listening to prosecutors detail the nine robberies and two armed robberies he's alleged to have committed between Jan. 29 and Feb. 16, the Sun-Times is reporting.

Rosas used a replica black handgun in the incidents at the fast food and convenient stores, assistant state's attorney James Pontrelli said. Rosas often came into the businesses wearing a black hoodie and brandishing the fake weapon, he said. He was allegedly captured on camera in many of the robberies.

When Rosas tried robbing a Subway on Valentine's Day and cocked his gun, the clerk, who has family in the military and grew up with guns, recognized the sound to be from a fake gun and refused to give Rosas money, Pontrelli said.

Officers eventually apprehended Rosas on Tuesday night when they spotted his blue-green 1994 Ford Explorer with damage to a side mirror, rims and back. Minutes before, Rosas robbed a Subway at 816 N. State, Pontrelli said.

He stopped his car for a traffic stop around North and Throop but then backed his car into four officers, Pontrelli said. An officer, fearing for his and his colleague's safety, ended up shooting Rosas in the left arm.

In court Thursday, Rosas, wearing blue hospital shirt and jeans, had an arm wrapped in a bandage.

After the bond hearing, he hung his head low as he was escorted back by sheriff's deputies.