Gunman Robs Work Crew Of Tree Saw In North Center; Case May Be Connected To Lakeview Incident

Detectives are investigating the armed robbery of a work crew in North Center on Thursday afternoon which may be connected to a similar incident that targeted plumbing contractors in Lakeview last week.

Yesterday’s victims were working on a project near Lincoln and Grace around 11:30 a.m. when a white Chrysler 200 pulled up, a man got out, threatened them with a handgun, and took the workers’ motorized tree saw.

The offender tossed the saw into his car and then sped off with an accomplice.

The offenders’ vehicle is a white 4-door Chrysler 200, similar to this one. | Autoblog

Cops say the case is very similar to an attempted theft of plumbing supplies from a contractor’s van in Lakeview one week earlier.

In that case, a man got out of a white Chrysler 200 in the 1400 block of West Henderson around 11 a.m. on May 4 and tried to cut the lock on a plumbing company van that contained tools and pipe.

The offenders fled before accessing the van’s interior, police said.

Witnesses described the gunman in North Center as being an 18-year-old black male with short hair who stands about 5’9” tall and weighs about 160 pounds. He was wearing a blue sweater. The second offender who remained in the car was described as a young black male with long braids.

Last Thursday’s attempted theft was carried out by similarly-described offenders.

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com