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DePaul student robbed, used as extortion bait on crosstown Red Line ride: prosecutors
CWB Chicago ^ | October 5, 2025 | Tim Hecke

Posted on 10/06/2025 4:33:16 AM PDT by PBRCat

An 18-year-old man is facing felony charges after allegedly terrorizing a DePaul University student in a prolonged robbery and extortion scheme that began aboard a Red Line train in Lincoln Park and ended in a South Side alley.

In a detention filing, prosecutors said Ricky Willis and another man who remains at large boarded a southbound Red Line train at Argyle in the early hours of September 6. When they reached Fullerton, an 18-year-old DePaul student boarded the train. They backed him into a corner and demanded money while threatening to kill him, according to prosecutors.

After gaining control of the man’s phone, Willis and his accomplice tried to transfer money to themselves from the victim’s banking account, but the attempt was blocked due to suspected fraud, the detention petition said. Unable to get money from the victim directly, the pair allegedly extorted money from the victim’s friends and family.

First, Willis and the accomplice contacted the student’s sister using his phone, warning her that he would be killed if she didn’t send cash, according to prosecutors. Out of fear, she Zelled $700 to Willis’ phone number.


TOPICS: Government; Local News; Politics; Society
KEYWORDS: chicago; crime; police; transit

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Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson are busy telling the nation that Chicago does not need the National Guard to restore public safety and deter crime.

These crimes are daily occurrences in Chicago under failed Democrat soft on crime leadership.

1 posted on 10/06/2025 4:33:16 AM PDT by PBRCat
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To: PBRCat

“an 18-year-old DePaul student boarded the train”

I wonder if his parents realize how badly they failed him, by letting him think he could safely ride public transit in America’s inner cities.


2 posted on 10/06/2025 4:36:36 AM PDT by BobL
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To: BobL
I wonder if his parents realize how badly they failed him, by letting him think he could safely ride public transit in America’s inner cities.

They should thank God he was not killed or seriously wounded. American cities, by and large, are unsafe due to ... Democrats.
3 posted on 10/06/2025 4:42:15 AM PDT by af_vet_1981 ( The bus came by and I got on, That's when it all began.)
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To: PBRCat

4 posted on 10/06/2025 4:42:49 AM PDT by coloradan (They're not the mainstream media, they're the gaslight media. It's what they do. )
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To: BobL
Ricky Willis, inset, and a CTA surveillance image of the robbery suspects. (Chicago Police Department)


5 posted on 10/06/2025 4:48:52 AM PDT by Carl Vehse (Make Austin Texas Again!)
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To: Carl Vehse

Them...avoid them. Your life may depend upon your decision.


6 posted on 10/06/2025 5:00:40 AM PDT by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp?)
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To: BobL

He needed this.

The Talk: Nonblack Version
Teach your children well.
https://www.unz.com/article/the-talk-nonblack-version/

This is what got John Derbyshire fired by the Neocons at National Review. Too truthful in a politically incorrect way.


7 posted on 10/06/2025 5:07:01 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: PBRCat

A housing worker recognized Willis and the accomplice as residents of a property where they worked.

Why mention that it was a housing worker ? Couldn’t they just say a citizen contacted police ? Irresponsible journalism.


8 posted on 10/06/2025 5:12:51 AM PDT by OldHarbor
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To: OldHarbor

Because snitches get stitches


9 posted on 10/06/2025 5:17:58 AM PDT by AppyPappy (They don't call you a Nazi because they think you are one. They do it to justify violence. )
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To: PBRCat

That DePaul student went through absolute hell. Yet he wasn’t stabbed or shot. So I wouldn’t be surprised if his attackers got probation.

It’s the Chicago way.

☹️


10 posted on 10/06/2025 5:25:05 AM PDT by Leaning Right (It's morning in America. Again.)
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To: Leaning Right

It was serious enough the judge ordered him detained in jail until trial. If the crooks had just punched him and took his stuff, it likely they would be walking the streets.


11 posted on 10/06/2025 5:47:18 AM PDT by EVO X ( )
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To: FreedomPoster

“The Talk: Nonblack Version”

I did have a similar talk with my kids. I said to always be nice, but do not get close, on a personal level, to any of them that you work with - they have too many ‘tools’, too much power. Outside of work, if you have good neighbors who are black, it’s ok to be friendly, but still be careful, because their ‘friends’ may look at you differently.


12 posted on 10/06/2025 8:58:57 AM PDT by BobL
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