A 16-year-old Riverside boy has told police he was robbed at knifepoint by three men while he was jogging eastbound on the north side of Forest Avenue on Feb. 28 at about 8:15 p.m.
The boy was not seriously hurt and nothing was taken during the robbery attempt, which took place as the boy approached the Forest Avenue bridge from the west, police said.
According to police the three offenders emerged from the wooded area north of the sidewalk as the boy jogged toward the bridge, stopping him and demanding his wallet.
The boy wasn’t carrying his wallet and he reportedly offered the offenders a tablet device he possessed. However, the offenders allegedly told the boy they didn’t want the tablet, and pushed him to the ground. One of the offenders reportedly held a knife to his throat, threatening to slash it if the boy didn’t give them a wallet.
After determining the boy didn’t have a wallet on him, the offenders reportedly were last seen headed west toward a wooded area near First Avenue.
Police didn’t learn about the incident until after the boy returned home and told his parents what happened, a delay of five to seven minutes, according to police. Riverside officers along with a K-9 unit from Broadview searched the area in and around the woods for anyone matching the description of the offenders, without success.
Lyons police detained subjects generally matching the description given to police, but the victim could not positively identify them. Police Chief Thomas Weitzel said his department will also look at surveillance camera video from Riverside-Brookfield High School as part of the investigation.
The offenders were described as white males between the ages of 18 and 24, between 5-foot-10 and 6 feet tall, with medium builds. One wore a black hooded sweatshirt with white lettering, while a second wore a blue puffy jacket and a third wore a black winter hat and a long-sleeved shirt.
