A Georgia man has been convicted for his role in a violent 2017 armed robbery at the Casino Queen in East St. Louis, Illinois, where a security guard was shot and seriously injured.

Daryl S. Muhammad, 48, was identified as one of three armed men who stormed the casino (now DraftKings at Casino Queen) around 2 a.m. on September 17, 2017. The assailants, armed with rifles, fired shots into the air and forced employees to the ground while targeting the cashier's cage. Security guard and local firefighter Larry Weber was shot by Muhammad when approaching the cage, sustaining critical injuries requiring multiple surgeries.

The robbers escaped with $47,000, which was later recovered near an abandoned getaway vehicle in East St. Louis. Muhammad was arrested in January 2019 in Cobb County, Georgia, by U.S. Marshals, while his two accomplices remain at large.

After a weeklong trial in St. Clair County Court, Muhammad was convicted of armed robbery, aggravated battery with a firearm (both class X felonies), and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon (a class 2 felony). He faces up to 60 years in prison at sentencing.

Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly emphasized that the conviction demonstrates their commitment to pursuing justice regardless of time passed. The successful prosecution was a collaborative effort between Illinois State Police, the St. Clair County State's Attorney's Office, and the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois.

Related Articles

Previous Articles