Addison cafe hit by sledgehammer-wielding crew; four held after 100 mph chase

Four Chicago men are being held without bond after prosecutors say they broke into an Addison gaming cafe, took more than $13,000 and led officers on a pursuit that reached speeds over 100 mph across several west suburban communities.

A DuPage County judge denied pre-trial release Friday for Keonte Adams, 20, of the 9700 block of Beverly Avenue; Dajuan Johnson, 24, of the 4000 block of West Potomac Avenue; Kyronte McCondichie, 20, of the 9700 block of Beverly Avenue; and Daryl Nesbit, 19, of the 8400 block of South Drexel Avenue, according to a DuPage County State's Attorney's Office release. All four live in Chicago.

The charges against them include armed violence, unlawful possession of a machine gun, burglary, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, criminal damage to property and aggravated fleeing and eluding.

The case stems from an incident Oct. 29. Addison police and other DuPage County law enforcement agencies had deployed near gaming establishments in response to a series of break-ins at such businesses in the county.

At about 4:32 a.m., officers saw a Black Dodge Durango and a white BMW, both reported stolen, traveling together west on Lake Street from Bruce Avenue, according to the release. Moments later, both vehicles backed into parking spots in front of Maria's Gaming Cafe at 40 E. Lake St. in Addison.

Prosecutors say five people, four of them carrying weapons, used large sledgehammers and a crowbar to force entry. They were inside for roughly two minutes, smashing gaming machines and taking cash boxes before leaving. The currency removed from the machines totaled $13,847, according to the report.

The group then left in the BMW and the Durango. The BMW hit spike strips, and its occupants got out and climbed into the Durango, which then carried eight people, authorities said.

Elmhurst police tried to stop the Durango at Lake Street and Route 83. The vehicle kept going north on Route 83 to North Avenue, where Villa Park police took over the pursuit. The Durango drove faster than 100 mph on North Avenue, according to the release.

Officers deployed spike strips again, and the eight occupants got out and ran across Interstate 290 into a neighborhood near Van Buren and 31th Avenue in Bellwood. Three firearms fell from the vehicle as people exited, authorities said. After a foot pursuit and a search using K-9 units and drones, with officers from multiple agencies involved, four people were arrested.

A search of the Durango turned up a loaded Glock 22 with a round in the chamber, a 16-round magazine and a device that converts a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic firearm; a loaded Glock 17C with a round in the chamber and a 31-round magazine; a loaded Zastava AK-style firearm with a round in the chamber; a sledgehammer; a pry bar; and a cash box. Officers also reported seeing a handgun on the front passenger seat of the BMW, a second firearm in the middle rear seat and a sledgehammer in the backseat.

DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release that businesses should not have to operate in fear that their windows will be broken and their property taken by armed individuals. The defendants' next court appearance is Nov. 23.