A Chicago mom dragged her son to a police station and turned in him after she recognized him as the prime suspect in train robbery through widely-circulated surveillance images of the brazen daytime crime. The boy has been identified as Zion Brown, an 18-year-old Loyola University Chicago student, while the police have applauded the mom for showing the courage to turn in her son.
Brown has now been charged with armed robbery after reportedly pulling out a black semi-automatic weapon and swiping the conductor's petty cash on a Metra Electric Line train on Tuesday. He now faces years in jail if proven guilty.
Brave and Bold
Brown's mother brought him into a police station in Calumet City to turn himself in after identifying photographs of a masked suspect – seen peering into a station surveillance camera – posted by police and reported by the media as her son, according to CWB Chicago. According to police, The Loyola University Chicago student, majoring in economics, fled on foot and remained on the run after committing the brazen daytime robbery.
At the time of the robbery, he was wearing a black hoodie, a black jacket, black pants, and white sneakers.
Brown, who was represented by a private defense lawyer at his bond hearing, said that his client was hungry and looking for something to eat, which led him to robbed the train's conductor.
However, the excuse didn't do much to earn the judge's sympathy. Cook County Judge Maryam Ahmad said that she too was once a starving student but took recourse to violence to get food. Cook County Judge Maryam Ahmad ordered Brown held without bail, Loyola Phoenix reported, citing the Cook County State's Attorney Office.
Righteous Mother
Brown was denied bail and police have appreciated his mother for showing courage to turn her son in to police after finding his wrongdoings.
The heist occurred about 2.07 p.m., as a train arrived at the Van Buren Street Station in downtown Chicago, according to Metra police. Brown allegedly pulled out a revolver and announced a robbery before demanding money as the vehicle approached, they said.
The conductor was seen standing on the platform with his hands up over his head while Brown allegedly put the handgun into his jeans and fled. In one CCTV image, Brown is seen strolling down the platform with the semi-automatic weapon near his waist, away from a train conductor.
Brown decided to rob the conductor after witnessing him handling money and experiencing hunger pangs, according to CWB Chicago. He made off with roughly $110 and tossed the firearm in the trash.
Brown's next court appearance is scheduled for March 4.
Brown was planning to graduate in 2025, according to his LinkedIn profile, though it's unclear whether he'll still be a student in good standing following his arrest.
