Uptown man bungled Subway restaurant robbery by asking for ‘all the bread,’ prosecutors say

CHICAGO — Prosecutors say an Uptown man robbed two Subway restaurants on Wednesday night, just two weeks after getting out on bond for allegedly burglarizing a wireless store near his home. But he bungled one of the holdups by asking the sandwich shop employee for “all the bread.”

During a Thursday afternoon bail hearing, Judge Maryam Ahmad ordered 20-year-old Abail Bekele held without bail. He is charged with two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery.

At around 1:49 a.m. on April 26, Chicago police officers noticed a broken glass door at Cricket Wireless, 4858 North Sheridan, and found Bekele inside, prosecutors said. The cops allegedly found him carrying phone cases and broken dummy phones. In his pocket, he had three identification cards belonging to other people.

Prosecutors said Bekele admitted to taking the ID cards from the Xsport at 3030 North Broadway in Lakeview.

He was charged with burglary, theft of lost or mislaid property, and identity theft. Citing Bekele’s lack of background, Judge Charles Beach ordered him to pay a $500 bail deposit to go home.

Two weeks later, around 9:25 p.m. Wednesday, Bekele walked into the Subway at 4436 North Broadway and told the cashier to hand over all of the money or he’d be shot, Assistant State’s Attorney Domenica Devitt said during Bekele’s bail hearing yesterday.

The cashier, believing Bekele was holding a gun, opened the register, and Bekele took the cash.

Then, just after 10 p.m., Bekele walked into another Subway at 3952 North Sheridan and asked the clerk for the bread.

As a sandwich shop employee, the cashier asked him to clarify what kind of “bread” he wanted, Devitt said.

Bekele motioned toward his waist, where the cashier believed he saw the handle of a handgun, and told the employee to give him all of the money, according to Devitt. The cashier closed the register and ran into the back of the store. Bekele walked out.

Chicago police officers arrested Bekele in the 3700 block of North Wayne about 35 minutes later. Devitt said he was wearing “exactly” the same clothes the robber was seen wearing on videos from the Subways.

Shortly before the judge held Bekele without bail, his public defender said he had three job interviews lined up for various fast-food restaurants.