DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Addison Director of Police Timothy “Bill” Hayden announced on Friday, Sept. 15 that bond had been denied for a Chicago man accused of robbing an Addison Verizon store at gunpoint.
Diamonte Walls, 25, appeared at a bond hearing where Judge Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh granted the state’s motion to deny bond. Walls is charged with one count of armed robbery with a firearm (Class X felony) and one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon (Class 2 felony).
On Thursday, Sept. 14, at approximately 12:43 p.m., officers with the Addison Police Department responded to an activated panic alarm at the Verizon store located at 1400 W. Lake Street. Following an investigation, it is alleged that Walls, who was wearing a black hoodie and a black mask, entered the store with a gun and ordered all the customers onto the floor while employees gave him merchandise.
It is further alleged that Walls ordered three employees to the back storage room, where he gave them garbage bags and ordered the employees to fill up the bags with merchandise. It is alleged that Walls then fled the store out the front door, followed by his accomplice, who was pretending to be a customer lying on the floor.
It is alleged that both men fled the scene in separate cars, Walls in a white Infiniti driven by another unidentified individual, and his accomplice in a gray Toyota. A short time later, officers located the Infiniti on I-290 near St. Charles Road. Officers successfully deployed spike strips, flattening the front passenger-side tire of the Infiniti. It is alleged that the Infiniti continued to drive onto I-294 southbound, exiting at Ogden Avenue and stopping at Elm Street and Fuller Road in Hinsdale, approximately 1,000 feet from an elementary school, where Walls and the other individual exited the car and fled on foot. Authorities apprehended Walls in a backyard about one block away.
According to Villa Park Police Chief Michael Rivas, Elmhurst officers initiated the pursuit of the Infiniti. Villa Park officers provided assistance in the pursuit.
When processing the scene, authorities found a black garbage bag containing 30 iPhones, two Galaxy phones, four iPads and an Apple Watch, valued in excess of $37,000, in the same backyard where Walls was found. Authorities also located a loaded Taurus G2C 9mm handgun with one bullet in the chamber in the front yard of the neighboring residence. The Taurus was missing its magazine, which authorities located in the Verizon parking lot.
“It is alleged that Mr. Walls concealed his identity and armed himself with a handgun, and with another individual, entered the Verizon store in the middle of the afternoon and terrorized not only three employees just trying to make an honest living, but several customers in the store as well,” Berlin said. “Further allegations that after stealing more than $37,000 worth of merchandise and fleeing the scene, Mr. Walls attempted to avoid apprehension by running through a residential neighborhood, less than a block from a grammar school, causing the school to go into lockdown, while armed with a loaded gun are outrageous.”
“This was a tremendous effort by several police agencies,” Hayden said. “We would like to thank the Elmhurst, Hinsdale and Berkeley police departments for their efforts in apprehending a violent and dangerous offender.”
An investigation into identifying and locating Walls’ alleged accomplices continues. Anyone with information is asked to call the Addison Police Department at 630-543-3080.
Walls’ next court appearance is scheduled Oct. 19 for arraignment in front of Judge O’Hallaren Walsh.
