On October 23, 2020, at approximately 9:15 p.m., Champaign Police responded to Thorntons convenience store, located at 101 S Mattis Avenue, for the report of a male holding a gun to a female’s head inside of a parked car. Upon officer arrival, the suspect fled the scene at a high rate of speed and evaded officer pursuit.
The investigation identified Javon Tate, 24, of Champaign, as the suspect in the offense. Prior to arriving at Thornton’s, the investigation revealed Tate entered a vehicle with multiple passengers with the intent to rob them at gunpoint. Ultimately, he was taken to Thorntons where he held the female victim hostage inside the parked car while the other passengers went inside the store to obtain more currency from an ATM. A 9-1-1 call was placed inside the convenience store, prompting law enforcement response. All victims, including the female held hostage, were able to safely escape the encounter.
On January 29, 2021, the Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office obtained an arrest warrant for Tate’s arrest for the offense of Vehicular Hijacking. Bond on the warrant was set at $100,000.
On March 24, 2021, in coordination with Champaign Police, the United States Marshals Great Lakes Task Force located and arrested Tate in Chicago. Tate will be returned to Champaign County where he will await future court proceedings.
Although an arrest has been made, the incident remains under investigation. Anyone with additional information is asked to please contact police at 217-351-4545. Arrangements can be made for information to be shared privately. If you wish to remain anonymous you may also submit tips to Crime Stoppers by phone at: 217-373-8477 (TIPS); online at 373tips.com; or the “P3 Tips” mobile app.
Champaign Police reminds citizens that information submitted to Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous. Calls are routed to a third-party national call center that receives your information, completes a tips information form, and then passes the information to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Caller ID tracking is not utilized by Crime Stoppers and conversations are not recorded.
All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.