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| Locations of recent armed robberies in Old Town. |
An armed robber opened fire on two mugging victims in Old Town late Sunday night, escalating the violence in a week-long robbery pattern that has plagued the normally-quiet neighborhood.
Just after 10:30 p.m., two men emerged from an SUV and approached a man and a woman who were walking in the 1800 block of North Sedgwick. The robbers demanded the victims’ property while displaying a handgun, police said.
The male victim, 26, handed over cash. As the robbers returned to their vehicle, one of them fired a single shot at the couple, but did not strike anyone.
Witnesses said the robbers were last seen heading north on Sedgwick toward Armitage in a light-colored SUV with a dark gray rear bumper that was occupied by additional persons. The offenders who approached the victims are described as two black men in gray sweaters. Each was armed with a chrome handgun, according to the victims.
Sunday’s hold-up was the fourth in a week for Old Town and the second since Chicago police issued a community alert about robberies in the area on Thursday. In the pattern, armed men and sometimes women are emerging from vehicles to accost victims who are walking in the neighborhood.
Police suspect that a similar robbery near Boystown this weekend may be connected to the Old Town cases.
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