It was a bad day for an early-morning Black Friday shopper at Franklin Mills mall but it could have been worse.
The 26-year-old Northeast man was leaving the mall, which opened at midnight, with his purchases at 3:05 a.m. when a green van pulled alongside him. Two men inside the middle of the van simulated that they were armed with handguns, police said, and demanded money.
Instead, the victim threw his shopping bags at them and the car sped away.
The description of the vehicle was broadcast on police radio and 15th Police District patrol officers stopped the van on the 5700 block of Leonard St. about 20 minutes later and arrested Siville Leach, 25, of the 6700 block of Lebanon Ave.
Police said Leach, also known as Seville Ferguson, was charged with robbery, theft, simple assault, conspiracy and related offenses. He is being held at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility on State Road. An arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 13 in the Criminal Justice Center, 13th and Filbert streets. No other people involved in the holdup attempt have been found. ••
