Elgin police officers on Wednesday evening, October 26, 2022 apprehended suspect Eric Gatlin wanted for the investigation of case involving a stolen van in Round Lake Beach and an Armed Robbery at the Gurnee Mills Portillo’s in Gurnee. Grayslake Police Department provided the information late Thursday morning that the suspect they were look for had been apprehended Wednesday evening.
Gatlin is scheduled for a court date at 7:30 a.m. December 27, 2022 in Lake County Court. As of Friday afternoon, October 28, 2022, Lake County Sheriff’s Office records and Lake County Court records did not show any details subsequent to the October 26, 2022 arrest in Elgin.
Police officers from Elgin at about 5:55 p.m. Wednesday, October 26, 2022 observed a male subject matching a description of Eric Gatlin driving the matching suspect’s vehicle in the block of 1000 Summit Street in Elgin. The male driver fled when police attempted to stop the vehicle, but then crashed in the block of 1200 Coldspring Road.
The suspect fled on foot and was captured a short time later after police setup a perimeter, and utilized a drone and K-9 units. Elgin police said the subject was safely taken into custody.
Within 70 minutes prior to the Elgin police sighting of the suspect in Elgin, an attempted armed robbery had been reported in Hoffman Estates, and an armed robbery had been reported in Lake Zurich.
Hoffman Estates police responded about 4:39 PM Wednesday October 26, 2022 to an armed robbery at Burlington Coat Factory 4700 Hoffman Boulevard Hoffman Estates, IL. Police received a report that an offender attempted to rob the Burlington Coat Factory in Hoffman Estates.
The suspect matched a suspect that had been identified Monday by Grayslake Police Department as Eric J. Gatlin, age 43. The offender in Hoffman Estates was immediately believed to be the suspect “at large” that allegedly stole a white Ford Transit van in Round Lake Beach on Monday, October 24, 2022, and then allegedly robbed the Portillo’s at Gurnee Mills.
The subject believed to be Eric Gatlin Wednesday evening was described by Hoffman Estates police as a male/black with a mustache, beard, wearing all black clothing, and armed with a pistol.
The suspect had been reported last seen eastbound through the parking lot at Burlington Coat Factory.
Again, the attempted robbery crime was reported to have occurred at 4:39 p.m., and the drive from the Hoffman Boulevard address in Hoffman Estates to the Summit Street address in Elgin is about 10 minutes.
A robbery at Phillips 66, 487 South Rand Road in Lake Zurich was reported at about 5:45 p.m., but the Lake Zurich address is about 30 minutes from the Summit Street address in Elgin … so there is a timing problem connecting the Lake Zurich robbery at 5:45 p.m. to the sighting and the eventual capture of Eric Gatlin in Elgin beginning at 5:55 p.m. The Lake Zurich suspect was described driving a white Ford Transit Connect with no front license plate. The suspect was described as a male black wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black ski mask, and armed with a black handgun. Initially, there is no official confirmation regarding the identity of the suspect in the Lake Zurich armed robbery.
Initially the Round Lake suspect’s vehicle was only described as a Ford Transit van. In the robbery in Lake Zurich, the suspect’s vehicle was described as a white Ford Transit Connect — a smaller van.
Elgin Police only confirmed limited details about the apprehension of Eric Gatlin, and even today, Police Chief Ana Lalley on a WRMN radio program only described the case as involving a subject wanted by “other agencies.”
LIVE TRAFFIC MAP of neighborhood of the incident near 4700 Hoffman Boulevard Hoffman Estates, IL …
More Cardinal news Wednesday October 26, 2022 …
^^ MOBILE? USE VOICE MIC ^^
The Grayslake police department on Monday night, October 24, 2022 announced the department was seeking any information regarding the whereabouts of a subject that was involved in multiple incidents in the northern Lake and Cook County area within the last several hours. The suspect had been connected to a stolen van taken from Round Lake Beach, and an armed robbery in Gurnee. Details of other recent incidents connected to the suspect in northern Lake and Cook County were not specified by police.
The wanted suspect was identified as Eric J. Gatlin, age 43. He was described as a male/black 5’11” 230 LBS, bald with brown eyes. He had been last seen wearing blue jeans and a blue Chicago Bears sweatshirt.
Gatlin is suspected of having had possessed at least one stolen vehicle, and committing armed robbery. Gatlin was the reason for a manhunt over several hours in the Grayslake, Hainsville, and Round Lake Beach area.
The manhunt also caused several soft lockdowns to be activated at area schools …
Meadowview School, 291 Lexington Lane, Grayslake,
Avon Center School, 1617 IL-83, Round Lake Beach,
Grayslake District 127 schools, and
Lake County Tech Campus.
The soft lockdowns were activated when there was a report of a sighting of Gatlin in the area.
According to the Grayslake Police Department, Gatlin was last seen driving a white Ford Transit van, which was later discovered to have been stolen at approximately 12:30 p.m. from the Round Lake Beach Goodwill, located at 2351 N. Route 83 in Round Lake Beach. Gatlin was believed to have been driving the white Ford transit van or a gold sedan, according to the Grayslake Police Department. As of 1:30 p.m., the suspect was believed to have been observed in the Gurnee area connected to the Portillo’s robbery when an employee’s fanny pack containing cash was taken.
Round Lake Beach is about 8 miles (or 15 minutes) from Gurnee Mills. The van theft may have occurred earlier than the reported approximate time of 12:30 p.m. because a robbery at the Gurnee Mills Portillo’s is believed to have been committed by the same suspect at 12:29 p.m.
An offender, believed to be Gatlin, committed the armed robbery at Portillo’s at Gurnee Mills about 12:29 p.m. Monday, October 24, 2022.
According to the Gurnee Police Department, on October 24, 2022, at 12:30 p.m., Gurnee Police received a call of an armed robbery at Portillo’s restaurant. Within three minutes, a police officer assigned to the Gurnee Mills, and additional police officers arrived on the scene at the Gurnee Mills Portillo’s, but the offender was gone. The robbery victim alleged that a black male driver pulled into the drive-thru lane, displayed a handgun, and took his cash before departing the area. No one was injured during the interaction.
Police officers immediately identified the armed robbery suspect’s vehicle as the stolen white Ford cargo van out of Round Lake Beach. According to Gurnee Police Department, a person of interest was then identified as Eric Gatlin, 43 years old, out of Grayslake. Gatlin has active warrants out of Lake County, Illinois. He was described Monday as described as 5’11, 230 lbs., and was considered armed and dangerous.
The robbery case remains under investigation by Gurnee Police.
An earlier police communication report indicated the offender took $1,000 cash in the Gurnee robbery, and then the offender fled out a back entrance of the restaurant (possibly meaning the back driveway entrance). The offender then drove away in a white Ford cargo van toward Stearns School Road, according to the earlier report.
Grayslake Police Department filed charges against Eric Gatlin on Monday, October 24, 2022 before he was apprehended. The charges include …
Armed Habitual Criminal (2 counts),
Possession of a Stolen Firearm,
Felon Possessing a Weapon, and
Felon Possessing a Weapon Prior
As of 8:20 p.m. Monday, no charges had been filed for robbery in the Lake County Circuit Court system.
Gatlin has an active order of protection and a history of violating orders of protection and domestic battery.
Anyone with information about the suspect was urged to contact the Grayslake Police Department at 847–223–2341.
Citizens were also advised not to approach the suspect.
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