Youngsters Defeated by Off-Base Armed Robbery

Three youngsters from a housing project were robbed of their baseball bats at gunpoint before a Little League game and had to forfeit, police said Friday.

“If you could have seen those kids, they were distraught,” Detective Michael O’Brien said. “They lost the game and they didn’t even have a chance to play.”

Terrence Hodge, 24, of Chicago was arrested and charged with three counts of armed robbery, one for each bat stolen, Sgt. Edward Adorjan said.

Four youngsters, ages 12 and 13, and their 19-year-old coach were walking to a baseball diamond near the Cabrini Green project when they were stopped by two men, Adorjan said.

The men asked the youngsters if they were members of a street gang, but got no response, Adorjan said.

“Generally, they don’t answer. They’re not gang members, and sometimes it (the question) is a test,” he said.

Hodge is accused of pulling a handgun and telling the youngsters, “You’re not going to play baseball today,” O’Brien said.

The men grabbed three bats over the Little Leaguers’ objections, he said, and then ordered the youths to walk away.

Adorjan said the youngsters went to a nearby police station and provided descriptions.

Hodge was identified by all four children and their coach, he said. The second suspect remained at large.

Police did not recover the baseball bats, and it’s unlikely they will, Adorjan said.