39-year-old John Echols from the 3900 block of Rowena Drive is charged with three counts of Robbery, Theft, Receiving Stolen Property, Recklessly Endangering another Person and Impersonating a Police Officer.
The charges stem from several incidents earlier this week.
The first happened at approximately 3:00 Monday afternoon along the 7900 Frankford Avenue. Investigators say a white vehicle with two white men inside pulled up to the 45-year-old male victim. The two occupants got out, identified themselves as police officers and ordered the man to put his hands on the car, saying to the victim that he fit the description of a man wanted for assault.
The victim said he complied with the commands. The men searched him and took his wallet. They then returned his belongings, got back in the vehicle and drove off. That's when the victim noticed $35 missing from his wallet.
Then at approximately 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, a 22-year-old man was walking in the area of 1000 Van Kirk Street when a white male in a white vehicle pulled up to him. With the same MO, the suspect ordered the victim to stop, told him he fit the description of a wanted man, and then submitted him to a body search.
The suspect took several items off the victim, but later put them back in his pockets and told him to leave. The suspect then drove off.
The victim then noticed he was missing $30.
Two hours later, a 26-year-old man was walking on the 6600 block of Marsden Street when a white colored Dodge Avenger with a Georgia license plate pulled up next to him.
The same thing happened again; the suspect got out and identified himself as a police officer. He patted him down and took items out of the victim's pocket. After the suspect drove off the victim noticed he was missing $123.
It was approximately 4:35 p.m. Tuesday when an off duty detective was driving his car northbound on the Roosevelt Boulevard and spotted the white Dodge Avenger with a Georgia plates described in the third incident.
The detective radioed in for a marked car, but followed the suspect's vehicle until a uniformed officer arrived to pull the vehicle over on the 9400 block of Roosevelt Boulevard.
The man, later identified as John Echols, has 18 prior convictions, including robbery, theft, burglary, narcotics, involuntary manslaughter, forgery, theft and assault.
