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Wicker Park iPhone Theft Case Brings $60,000 Bond

By  Emily Morris and Erica Demarest | March 14, 2013 11:03am | Updated on March 14, 2013 4:14pm

 Albert Hill, 17, (l.) and Michael Jones, 18, were each charged with one felony count of robbery.
Albert Hill, 17, (l.) and Michael Jones, 18, were each charged with one felony count of robbery.
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Chicago Police Department

WICKER PARK — Two teens who allegedly jumped a man in Wicker Park and stole his iPhone and wallet were ordered held on $60,000 bond Thursday.

Cops said they used cellphone GPS to hunt down the men who allegedly attacked the man Wednesday night.

Albert Hill, 17, of the 4500 block of South Calumet Avenue in Grand Boulevard, and Michael Jones, 18, of the 4400 block of South Greenwood Avenue in Kenwood, were each charged with one felony count of robbery, police said.

A 26-year-old man was walking home along the 1300 block of North Leavitt Street Wednesday night when he noticed shadows behind him, prosecutors said in bond court Thursday. The victim was wearing headphones and listening to music on his iPhone.

According to police, one of the suspects grabbed the victim around the neck in a "choke hold" and threw him to the ground.

The suspects then took the man's iPhone from his coat, grabbed his wallet — which contained $9 cash and several credit cards — and ran away, police said.

Officers were called to the scene and managed to track down the GPS location of the suspects using an iPhone application, which led them to the Damen Blue Line station, police said.

As the GPS signal moved, cops asked the Office of Emergency Management and Communications to stop a Blue Line train from leaving the station.

Officers got on the last car and found two men matching the description of the suspects, police said. According to prosecutors, the victim remembered one of the men wearing a red hoodie. Jones and Hill were arrested after the victim identified them.

Police said the victim's iPhone and other property were recovered from the men. Prosecutors believe Jones stole the phone, while Hill acted as a lookout.