Kankakee, IL – A Kankakee man is facing charges of battery and robbery following a peculiar incident at a local liquor store involving a chunk of concrete and stolen vodka.
According to police reports began late Monday night in the 300 block of South Schuyler Avenue, 26-year-old Ryan D. Hopkins allegedly attacked a store clerk with a piece of concrete during a theft attempt. After allegedly assaulting the victim, Hopkins fled with two bottles of vodka. The store clerk would later be hospitalized due to injury sustained in the robbery.
The situation escalated when, hours later, police detained Hopkins after a routine traffic stop revealed his presence in an SUV, alongside reported evidence linking him to the earlier crime. A bottle of vodka, consistent with those stolen, was reportedly found within the vehicle at the time of the stop.
Hopkins now faces charges including Aggravated Battery and Armed Robbery, stemming from the violent and unusual robbery.
