A man punched a woman in her throat during a robbery Monday afternoon in the Lakeview neighborhood, police said. No one is in custody.
The man rode up behind the 35-year-old victim on a bike as she walked down an alley behind her place of business on the 1600 block of West Diversey at 12:22 p.m., said CPD spokesperson Officer Jessica Alvarez.
“He snuck up behind and tried to grab my phone,” the victim told a Facebook group shortly after the incident. “I got it back, but then he grabbed my cross-body purse. The strap broke, and I tried to get it back, but then he punched me in the throat and threatened to shoot me.” No weapon was displayed, she said.
The victim posted a surveillance image that shows the offender fleeing the scene on a bicycle, She said he is black and in his late teens or early 20’s. He wore skinny jeans and a maroon zip-up jacket over a white hoodie.
Police said the robber fled westbound through the alley and then turned north on Paulina.
