Wilmette Jogger armed robbery leads to second teen charged

Lina PortmanJune 7, 2024

2 2 minutes read

Two 18-year-old men are accused of stealing a woman's phone at gunpoint. Both were ordered to remain in prison while awaiting trial.

June 6, 2024 at 5:32 p.m. CDT | Update June 6, 2024 at 5:33 p.m. CDT

CHICAGO — A second teenager has been charged in the armed robbery of a jogger during a morning run in Wilmette last month, authorities said.

Samnang Toem, 18, of Skokie, was charged Thursday with one count of armed robbery and one count of aggravated unlawful restraint in connection with the May 4 robbery on Beechwood Avenue, according to Wilmette police .

Toem and his accomplice, Saul Esquivel, got out of a stolen Hyundai sedan wearing masks. Toem then asked the jogger to enter her Apple ID into the phone, but when she couldn't remember it, the thieves became frustrated and fled, prosecutors said.

Esquivel, 18, of Chicago, was arrested 10 days later following a police chase that began when Glencoe Public Safety officers attempted to arrest him on the Edens Expressway while he was driving what he later told police was the fourth car he had stolen. night.

After his arrest, Esquivel pointed the finger at Toem, telling police he spent the night stealing cars with the Skokie teen before targeting the jogger in Wilmette, Skokie Patch previously reported.

Saul Esquivel, 18, of Chicago, left, and Samnang “Sam” Toem, 18, of Skokie, were denied pretrial release as they await charges related to multiple armed robberies and other crimes in Cook County, authorities said. (Cook County Sheriff's Office)

“[Esquivel] further recounted that Sam was upset because his mother had taken his phone and they decided to steal someone's phone from theirs,” Assistant State's Attorney Patrick Campbell said at a hearing on last month.

Toem and Esquivel were ordered to remain in jail while awaiting trial.

Toem was already facing several armed robbery charges in towns across Cook County, and Esquivel was also charged with armed robbery and burglary in Skokie.

Evanston police arrested Toem on Feb. 13 in connection with a Dec. 10 armed robbery of a pizza delivery driver. Police told detectives he allowed his phone to be used to order a pizza to his apartment building with the intention of robbing the driver, but he denied being armed at the time.

Three days after his arrest, Toem appeared at a detention hearing but was later released.

Toem is due back in court on June 12. Esquivel is next scheduled to appear at the Skokie courthouse on June 14.

Earlier: 'Volatile and violent' 18-year-old crime spree suspect to remain behind bars ahead of trial