Cook County Man Sentenced to 22 Years for Hijacking Car from McDonald’s Drive-Thru at Gunpoint
Dallas Dabney has been sentenced to twenty-two years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC).
“VIOLENT GUN CRIMES, SUCH AS ALLEGED IN THIS CASE, WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN DUPAGE COUNTY,” BERLIN SAID. “THIS MORNING, JUDGE TELANDER SENTENCED MR. DABNEY TO MORE THAN TWO DECADES BEHIND BARS FOR HIS ROLE IN THIS VIOLENT CRIME. THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR, IF YOU COMMIT A VIOLENT CRIME IN DUPAGE COUNTY, YOU WILL BE APPREHENDED, PROSECUTED AND IF FOUND GUILTY, SPEND A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME BEHIND BARS.”
LOMBARD - DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced today that a Broadview man who participated in hijacking a man’s car from a Lombard McDonalds drive-thru has been sentenced to twenty-two years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). Dallas Dabney, 28 (d.o.b. 6/16/1994), formerly of the 1900 block of S. 15th Avenue, appeared in court today where he entered a plea of guilty to one count of Aggravated Vehicular Hijacking with a Firearm, a Class X Felony. Judge Brian Telander handed down the sentence. On April 24, 2020, Dabney appeared in Bond Court where bond was set at $250,000 with 10% to apply. On March 18, 2021, Dabney posted the necessary 10%, or $25,000, and was released from custody. On January 27, 2023, Dabney’s bond was exonerated and he was returned to the custody of the DuPage County Jail, where he has since remained. The case against Dabney’s co-defendant, Antonio Protho, 22 (d.o.b. 3/5/2001), of Chicago, is ongoing. Protho’s next court appearance is scheduled for June 15, 2023, for a status hearing in front of Judge Telander.
On April 23, 2020, at approximately 2:46 a.m., the victim of the carjacking was waiting in line at the McDonald’s restaurant drive-thru located at 300 E. Roosevelt Road, Lombard, when Dabney and Protho, allegedly armed and wearing ski masks, approached the man’s vehicle, pointed a gun at him and ordered him out of the car. The victim exited his car at which time it is alleged that Dabney and Protho entered the car, with Protho driving, and fled the scene. After locating the vehicle, officers with the Lombard Police Department activated their emergency lights and sirens and briefly pursued the stolen vehicle on Roosevelt Road but called off the pursuit out of safety concerns when speeds allegedly reached approximately 100 mph. A short time later, after observing the allegedly hijacked vehicle on Roosevelt Road, officers with the Elmhurst Police Department activated their emergency lights and sirens and reengaged the pursuit. Officers then observed the hijacked vehicle lose control on the I-290 entrance ramp and crash. Dabney was taken into custody a few minutes later while Protho was taken into custody approximately one hour later when he was found hiding near a restaurant on Roosevelt Road. Two guns, both Ruger 9mm, were found in the hijacked vehicle.
“Violent gun crimes, such as alleged in this case, will not be tolerated in DuPage County,” Berlin said. “This morning, Judge Telander sentenced Mr. Dabney to more than two decades behind bars for his role in this violent crime. The message is clear, if you commit a violent crime in DuPage County, you will be apprehended, prosecuted and if found guilty, spend a significant amount of time behind bars. I thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Rob Willis and Bethany Jackson for their efforts in holding Mr. Dabney responsible for his actions.”
As the case against Protho is still pending, members of the public are reminded that the complaint contains only charges and is not proof of Protho’s guilt. Protho is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
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