Taxi drivers are being battered and robbed by people who pose as passengers in the downtown area and Lincoln Park, according to a community alert from Chicago police.
Detectives say the offenders hail taxi cabs during afternoon hours and request rides to various destinations. When they arrive, the offenders physically attack the driver and rob them before running away, police said.
Police have linked five incidents to the crime pattern:
- 800 block of North Michigan on Nov. 20
- 200 block of East Chestnut on Nov. 27
- 600 North Wabash on Nov. 28
- 500 block of West Armitage on Nov. 29
- 900 block of North Michigan on Dec. 12
The robberies have been carried out by a mix of men and women who appear to be 18- to 25-years old. One offender is a white female while the others are black, police said.
Anyone with information about the robberies can contact Area Central detectives at 312-747-8380.
