An Orland Park man, armed with a sawed-off shotgun, robbed a couple after luring them March 9 to the 11200 block of Melrose Court under the pretense of buying marijuana from them, police reported.
Jeffrey Alberts, 25, is charged with armed robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm.
A 21-year-old woman told police that Alberts is an acquaintance she knows through mutual friends, and he contacted her about buying marijuana. The woman’s 28-year-old boyfriend, who does not know Alberts, drove her to Melrose Court to make the sale, police said.
When they arrived, Alberts approached their car wearing all-back clothing and a ski mask and jumped into the passenger side, according to police. They said the woman immediately recognized Alberts despite the mask, and he pulled out the shotgun from under a coat and told them “this (expletive) is about to get real.”
Police said Alberts robbed the pair of $10 and a small amount of marijuana. When officers searched Alberts’ parents’ house on Ruggles Court later that day, they found a black backpack containing a short-barrel shotgun and 25 shells, police reported.
They said Alberts was arrested the following day when he returned to his parents’ house.
Kate McCann is a freelance reporter.