UPDATE
July 5, 2022
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. – Police announced Monday evening that Robert “Bobby” Crimo III, 22 — who was named as the prime person of interest in the shooting that killed six and wounded dozens more — was taken into custody in Lake Forest, Ill. following a short police pursuit, the New York Post reported.
A police officer in North Chicago spotted a vehicle on US 41 matching the description of the one Crimo was believed to be driving and tried to make a detention.
Crimo instead fled in a 2010 silver Honda Fit. A brief chase ensured followed before Crimo came to a stop and surrendered without incident, Highland Police Chief Lou Jogmen said at a press briefing.
Footage of the arrest shows Crimo’s car stopped at an intersection with dozens of police vehicles behind. He exits the vehicle with his hands up and lays face-down on the roadway at the instruction of police. Officers then swarmed the suspect and cuffed him.
July 4, 2022
HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. – A Chicago-area rapper known as “Awake the Rapper” was arrested after allegedly killing six people and injuring dozens more in a Fourth of July parade shooting. Robert Crimo III, 22, was taken into police custody after a brief car chase, Highland Park Police Chief Lou Jogmen said. A North Chicago police officer spotted the vehicle authorities alerted earlier in the day they believed might be driven by Crimo while he was on the run, Jogmen said.
The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Crimo fled before he was stopped in Lake Forest, Jogmen said. He was expected to be questioned about his alleged role in the mass shooting, the chief said.
Fox News reports that the suspect used “a high-powered rifle” but declined to give a detailed description of the weapon. Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Chris Covelli said that the attack marked a “very random, very intentional and a very sad day.”
Deadline reports that one of his music videos, for the song “Toy Soldier,” features crude, stick-figure-like animation of a man firing a long gun at people and later lying face-down in a pool of blood after apparently being shot by police. The accompanying lyric is: “I just want to scream/F*ck this world/Livin’ the dream.”
He also has an IMDb page that lists him as the writer, director, composer, producer and actor in a pair of music videos. In one, he is rapping on a set made to resemble a small classroom. He is seated at a desk and reaches into his backpack; the screen goes dark, and a gunshot-like sound is heard. When the video returns, he is on his knees and falls to the floor. Maniacal laughter is heard, he drops shell casings from his hands and rubs against an American flag.
Crimo began uploading his music to the internet at age 11, but first gained traction with his 2016 track “By The Pond” featuring Atlas, according to IMDB. His estimated net worth is “$100 thousand.”
