A man wielded a box cutter to rob two women in under 30 minutes in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon, police said. No one is in custody.
The offender approached the first woman as she walked with her two children on the 2600 block of West Leland at 3:36 p.m., according to a CPD spokesperson. He then pulled out a box cutter and demanded the woman’s cash.
Police said the victim, 39, complied and the robber then fled eastbound on Leland.
The woman described the robber as a heavier-set 20-year-old Hispanic man with a mustache who stands about 5’8” tall and weighs 180 pounds. He wore a green, yellow, and black coat.
About 20 minutes later, a man resembling that description approached a 44-year-old woman after she parked her car on the 2500 block of West Cullom.
The man displayed a box cutter and demanded her property, police said. But, he ran away empty-handed after the victim refused to comply and began yelling, police said.
According to the second victim, the man appeared to be 17- to 20-years-old, 5’6” to 5’9” tall, and 150-180 pounds. He wore dark pants with a jacket similar to the one described by the first victim.
The man was last seen running westbound on Cullom and then southbound on the river path.
No injuries were reported in either incident, police said.
