Electronic Device Frustrates Robber

An anti-theft device foiled an armed robber who stole stereo equipment worth $35,000 from Aspen Sound on North Division Wednesday night, police said. A store employee told officers that he was working inside the closed business about 9:30 p.m. He opened a door to vent paint fumes, police said. While the door was open, a man walked in with a handgun and bound the employee with electrical cords. The thief went through the store taking stereo equipment, which was loaded into a Toyota 4Runner that had been left at the store while being furnished with new sound equipment.

When the thief drove away, the employee activated a device from the store that had been installed on the vehicle, which shut off the car’s engine. It does not allow the car to be restarted by the driver.

Police found the stolen truck, still loaded with the stereo gear, stopped near an apartment complex in the 6600 block of North Addison.

The employee, who wasn’t injured, described the robber as a white man in his mid-20s. He was about 5-foot-8 and 140 to 160 pounds with long brown hair. The robber was wearing a black leather jacket, tan hooded sweat shirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233.