DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. — A Chicago man has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for his role in the robbery of a 7-Eleven in Lombard last year.

Lennell Owens, 47, and Reginald Allen, 54, both of Chicago, entered the 7-Eleven convenience store on the 800 block of South Westmore-Myers Road in Lombard around 6:45 p.m. on June 11, 2022.

According to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office, the two Chicago men approached the counter and 54-year-old Allen demanded money from an employee who was working at the cash register.

47-years-old Owens then went to the back of the store with another employee and stole cartons of cigarettes from the shelves as well as the employee’s cell phone at gunpoint.

While Owens was in the back of the store, Allen remained at the counter and collected the money from the cash register. Following the robbery, both men left the store and drove away in a Jeep Wrangler southbound on Westmore-Myers Road.

Once alerted to the robbery, authorities located the Jeep exiting a parking lot on Roosevelt Road. Officers with the Lombard Police Department activated their emergency lights and sirens and attempted to initiate a traffic stop.

The driver of the Jeep, later identified as Owens, fled from the officers traveling at approximately 114 mph on I-355, at which time officers terminated pursuit out of safety concerns. The vehicle was ultimately spotted near I-290 and Route 83 with assistance from the Illinois State Police and a helicopter from the Chicago Police Department.

The vehicle exited I-290 onto 17th Avenue and ultimately crashed into a tree on 74th Avenue in Elmwood Park. Both men and an unidentified occupant of the vehicle were taken into custody at this time.

Following the execution of a search warrant, authorities located a loaded Glock 10mm handgun, thirty-three cartons of cigarettes and nearly $200 cash in the vehicle.

Reginald Allen was sentenced to 16 years in prison on March 23. Lennells Owens was sentenced to 23 years in prison on May 19.