Another robbery near the Magnificent Mile this weekend prompted Area Central detectives to re-issue a community alert to warn the public about a series of muggings in the downtown area. Investigators typically issue community alerts when they believe a person or group is responsible for a series of crimes.
Police said a man was beaten up and robbed in an alley behind the Bernardin Apartments, 747 North Wabash, around 3:15 p.m. Saturday. The victim was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment.
Saturday’s attack was part of a pattern of at least six robberies in River North and near Michigan Avenue since Aug. 25, according to the community alert that police updated late Sunday.
A group of between three and five men in their early- to mid-20’s has been approaching victims on the street, beating them up, and taking their valuables, police said in the warning originally issued on Sept. 14.
In addition to Saturday’s robbery, detectives identified a connection between muggings at 1 a.m. on Aug. 25th in the first block of West Elm; at 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 31 in the 1100 block of North La Salle; at 4:20 a.m. on Sept. 7 in the 200 block of West Ontario; at about 8 p.m. on Sept. 10 in the 300 block of North State; and on the morning of Sept. 11 in the 400 block of North Dearborn.
Witnesses described Saturday’s assailants as two or three black men, one of whom wore a camouflage jacket and another who wore a blue, white, and yellow jacket. They fled westbound on Superior after the robbery and may have taken their shirts off, according to an officer at the scene.
Any information about the pattern shared with Area Central detectives at 312-747-8380. Refer to pattern P19-1-302B.
