Federal charges dismissed for 3 robbery suspects involved in ATF shooting in Country Club Hills

COUNTRY CLUB HILLS, Ill. (WLS) -- Federal authorities have now dropped charges against three robbery suspects, of which two were shot during an undercover ATF gun trafficking operation.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.

Prosecutors claim they obtained new evidence contradicting the ATF and FBI agents' original version of events, according to court records obtained by the ABC7 I-Team.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

The ATF said it was conducting the operation at about 5:30 p.m. on June 9 near 189th and Loretto Lane in Country Club Hills when an ATF special agent and a task force officer fired their guns in response to an attempted armed robbery of undercover agents, hitting two suspects. Authorities said the task officer is with the Chicago Police Department.

Both suspects were taken into custody and transported to the hospital, where they were in stable condition. A third person was accused of assaulting an officer, officials said.

The USAO asked a judge on Wednesday to dismiss the charges filed last week against three people accused of attempting to buy firearms from undercover ATF agents in Country Club Hills, and later running away, triggering an agent-involved shooting of two people.

On Thursday, Magistrate Judge Keri L. Holleb Hotaling dismissed the charges against the three men without prejudice and, underscoring the seriousness of this latest situation, scheduled a July 2 hearing to discuss whether sanctions should be imposed against the government.

Judge Hotaling ordered officials from both the FBI, and the USAO Front Office, which could include USAO Andrew Boutros himself, to be present at the July hearing.

In a motion filed with the court on Wednesday, federal prosecutors said the USAO "Front Office" obtained video from the ATF of the shooting incident, and that aspects of the shooting "appear inconsistent with the description of the shooting." That description of events came from an FBI agent investigating the incident, and ATF agents involved with the operation, according to the original criminal complaint filed.

In addition to the new video evidence, prosecutors told the judge an ATF special agent sent an email to the prosecution team this week describing the events, and that it too was "potentially inconsistent" with what prosecutors were originally told.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois shared a statement with ABC7 Thursday evening, saying "Late last week the government filed a criminal complaint against multiple individuals arising out of an attempted armed robbery and assault on federal officers occurring on June 9, 2026. The facts are fluid and developing, and multiple investigations are ongoing and more facts will be forthcoming. Our decision to dismiss the complaint today should not be read at all as a retreat of this case or the events giving rise to charges."

The ATF said Illinois State Police, the FBI and Chicago Police Department assisted in the initial investigation.

COPA is also investigating because a Chicago police officer was involved in the shooting.