One man is in jail and another is on the run after a Monday afternoon robbery and the chase that ensued.
The resident of the home robbed on North Oolitic Drive, which is on the northeast side of Bloomington, told police he was sitting on the couch when two men he knew walked through his unlocked front door. He said they demanded money and electronics.
When he refused, he told police the men punched him in the face.
Bloomington Police Department officers said the 28-year-old man’s injuries were consistent with this story. His wallet and phone were stolen from his home.
The man told police the two men left in a blue passenger car with a third man driving. Bloomington Police Department officers pulled a car matching that description over about half of a mile from the apartment, near West 8th Street and Fountain Drive.
A BPD officer reported two men jumped out of the car, but the driver stayed behind. The officer chased the men who ran, catching one and handcuffing him.
The man who was caught, 26-year-old Jeremy Simon, was charged with robbery, battery and resisting law enforcement. Simon told officers he did not know the other two men involved.
Police said the man they were unable to catch ran toward the railroad tracks. There is a warrant out for his arrest.
The driver of the car told police he didn’t know the two men were planning to rob the house. He said he panicked when the two ran out of the house and told him to drive.
The stolen wallet and phone were found in the car, but the driver does not face any charges.
