Wanted in nine hold-ups, 7-Eleven robbery crew is busted in Lincoln Park

The crew hit this 7-Eleven near Halsted and Armitage around 7 a.m. on Sunday. | Google

Two members of a three-man robbery team that has robbed at least nine North Side 7-Eleven stores over the past week are in custody after they struck again in Lincoln Park on Sunday morning. Police said the vehicle used by the offenders was taken in an armed carjacking earlier this month.

At 7:10 this morning, three men entered the 7-Eleven at 2004 North Halsted in Lincoln Park and announced a robbery. The clerk was struck in the head by one offender as the team loaded shopping bags with merchandise as well as money from the store’s registers. The offenders then fled westbound in an alley.

Police rolled up on the robbers’ idling get-away car as they robbed this 7-Eleven at 1349 West Fullerton for the second time in a week on Sunday morning. | Google

Less than ten minutes later, police officers checking nearby convenience stores rolled up on the crew’s vehicle as it sat empty behind a 7-Eleven store in the 1300 block of West Fullerton. The robbers were inside the store, battering the clerk as they robbed it for the second time in a week.

Listen to police radio audio as the offenders encountered police after robbing the store:

Officers chased the three offenders on foot and arrested two of them shortly after the second robbery. Charges are pending against both men.

Their vehicle was taken in an armed vehicular carjacking at 6 a.m. on Nov. 1st in the 2900 block of North Spaulding, according to a police report. Officers this morning said the car was “filled” with merchandise from various 7-Eleven stores.

The robbery spree began early last Sunday when the crew struck a 7-Eleven store in the 1500 block of North Damen. Since then, they have robbed a series of 7-Eleven stores across the North Side, forcing clerks to open registers, and battering employees, according to police.

Two separate community alerts were issued this week about the robbery team. On Friday, police listed seven hold-ups that detectives had connected with the crew:

• 6400 Block of West Diversey Ave. on Nov 5, 2018 at approximately 3:45 a.m.
• 2600 Block of North Clark St. on Nov 11, 2018 at approximately 5:20 a.m.
• 1300 Block of West Fullerton Ave. on Nov 11, 2018 at approximately 5:30 a.m.
• 2000 Block of North Damen Ave. on Nov 11, 2018 at approximately 5:45 a.m.
• 3600 Block of West Belmont Ave. on Nov 12, 2018 at approximately 5:15 a.m.
• 3000 Block of North Pulaski Rd. on Nov 16, 2018 at approximately 4:20 a.m.
• 4300 Block of North Kimball Ave. on Nov 16, 2018 at approximately 5:10 a.m.

CWBChicago will post an updated story when charges are approved.
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About CWBChicago 4358 Articles
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.