Chicago Man Charged in Armed Robbery of Postal Carrier

A shocking crime unfolded in the Chicago suburb of Harvey, Illinois, as a man was charged in federal court with robbing a United States Postal Service carrier at gunpoint last week.

According to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, AHMEL HOLMES, 18, of Kankakee, Illinois, approached the postal carrier on Jan. 8, 2025, with a gun equipped with a drum magazine and demanded her belongings. The complaint states that Holmes then demanded and obtained access to the victim’s postal vehicle, from which he took a USPS tub containing mail.

The brazen robbery took place along East 158th Street near Union Avenue, where the postal carrier was on duty that morning delivering mail. The victim was left shaken but unharmed after the incident.

But the crime didn’t go unnoticed by investigators. Shortly after the robbery, two Postal Inspectors from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service were canvassing the area when they observed three individuals near an alley. When the inspectors moved toward them to speak with them, one of the men – JESUS SANTILLAN, 19, of Harvey, Illinois – pointed a handgun at the inspectors and fired shots, the complaint states.

The inspectors were not wounded and did not return fire, but they chased Santillan into a nearby residence, where they arrested him, the complaint states. The inspectors also found Holmes in the residence and took him into custody.

Both Holmes and Santillan are facing serious charges. Holmes is charged with armed robbery of a postal carrier, which is punishable by up to 25 years in federal prison. Santillan is charged with using a deadly and dangerous weapon to assault postal inspectors and impede performance of their official duties, which is punishable by up to 20 years.

A detention hearing for Holmes is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffery T. Gilbert. Santillan waived his right to a detention hearing at this stage of the case and was ordered to remain held in federal custody.

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