They did it again and again and again and again on Monday. They’ve targeted victims from Hyde Park to Lincoln Park and all points in between. But, cops still haven’t caught up with the four-man robbery and theft team that’s been launching afternoon crime sprees across the North Side for the past week.
CWBChicago first told you about the crew on Friday. And Chicago police issued an alert about them on Saturday.
Yesterday, the team returned with a vengeance, stealing phones from unsuspecting customers inside of Starbucks locations on the first block of North Clinton, the 500 block of North Milwaukee, and the 300 block of North Desplaines between 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Around 6:45 p.m., a car known to be associated with the crew was used in a robbery on the University of Chicago campus in Hyde Park. The school’s police department said a man emerged from a blue 2014 Acura bearing license plate AB18149 to mug a student as they walked on the 900 block of East 57th Street.
We reported over the weekend that the Acura is one of three vehicles being used by the team. They’re also getting around in a silver Ford Flex with Oklahoma license plates and a black or dark blue Kia Sportage SUV bearing an Iowa license plate that begins with DUA.
The offenders have been carrying out a range of criminal activity, from passive thefts of unattended phones to street muggings and high-end shoplifting from posh boutiques on and near the Magnificent Mile.
The offenders first struck in Lincoln Park on the 1000 block of West Armitage and the 1300 block of West Fullerton on Tuesday, Dec. 3, according to CPD’s community alert.
On Dec. 5, four members of the crew raided the Saint Laurent store at 11 East Walton and fled with $15,000 worth of designer handbags. Less than two hours later, they pulled off a similar crime at the Magnificent Mile’s Gucci store, netting $17,280 worth of merchandise. Then, they struck again on the 1000 block of West North Avenue, police said.
Video surveillance showed one Gucci thief wore a black jacket with white and black-striped pants. Another wore a black coat with gray pants and white shoes. The third wore a white and gray jacket with light blue jeans and white gym shoes.
Investigators said the men are black, 17- to 20-years-old, 5’10” to 6-feet tall, and 150-180 pounds.
Previous coverage
- Update: Theft crew swipes $15K worth of purses from posh downtown boutique (Dec. 5)
- Exclusive: Cops hunting crew responsible for series of robberies and retail raids (Dec. 6)
- Alert issued for robbery and theft crew targeting Mag Mile and Lincoln Park (Dec. 8)