April 01--Two suburban men assaulted and robbed a panhandler on the South Side on Monday--then came back and beat him again after one of the men left his cellphone at the scene, prosecutors said at a court hearing Tuesday.
Derrick Cooper, 52, of Riverdale, and Ricardo Cannon, 38, of Dolton, each were charged with felony robbery after the incident.
According to prosecutors, the defendants drove up to the panhandler at 112th Street and Hamlet Avenue in the city's Mt. Greenwood community, then got out of the car and began beating him and demanding his money.
After allegedly kicking him and going through his pockets, they took his money and drove off--but not before Cooper dropped his cellphone at the scene, prosecutors said.
The two men returned and demanded the phone, then beat their victim once more and left, according to a police report filed after the incident.
The two men later were identified by the alleged victim and brought into court Tuesday, where Judge Donald J. Panarese held each of them in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Want more? Discuss this article and others on RedEye's Facebook page.
