Update 8:30 PM — In an unrelated press conference, Chicago Police Interim Supt. Charlie Beck said the three carjackings were committed by different offenders. Police do not believe the three hi-jackings are connected. However, the incidents involving the red Range Rover were all committed by the same group, police said. Our original report from early today follows.
An armed robbery crew went on a cross-city crime spree Wednesday evening, pulling off a series of carjackings and hold-ups that yielded luxury cars and tens of thousands of dollars in robbery proceeds, according to a CPD source.
In less than two hours, the men carjacked two high-end vehicles in West Ridge and the Gold Coast. Then, they pulled off two street robberies downtown, getting away with more than $50,000 in jewelry, cash, and coats.
And, police strongly suspect the crew is also responsible for carjacking a valet in Fulton Market last night and robbing a couple in River North early today, the source said.
Here’s how it all played out:
Around 8:30 p.m., two masked men approached a 31-year-old as he parked his uncle’s red Range Rover in the 2600 block of West Fitch on the Far North Side.
One of the offenders opened the driver’s door, displayed a handgun, and ordered him out of the SUV, police said. The carjackers then drove away southbound in the vehicle, which bears a license plate beginning with V865.
Then, at 9:10 p.m., a Gold Coast couple reported being carjacked at gunpoint as they parked in their garage on the 1500 block of North Dearborn. The victims, a 54-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman, said two men displayed a handgun and demanded the keys to their silver 2018 Porsche Panamera.
One offender drove away northbound in the alley with the Porsche while the other fled in a red vehicle, police said. Police later found the woman’s purse ditched near Lake Shore Drive and Randolph in the Loop.
Next, just after 10 p.m., a 42-year-old man was on a sidewalk in the 200 block of South Michigan when a masked gunman emerged from a red Range Rover Sport and demanded his Canada Goose coat. The victim complied and the offender fled southbound on Michigan Avenue in the SUV.
About ten minutes later, two offenders walked up behind a 26-year-old man and a 41-year-old man as they walked on the 200 block of East 13th Street in the South Loop, police said. One of the robbers displayed a handgun as they demanded valuables from the victims.
And, boy, did they get some valuables.
Taken were two Daytona Rolex watches valued at over $20,000 each; $5,000 cash; high-end coats; and cellphones, according to a police report.
Both offenders jumped into a red Range Rover Sport that fled west on 13th Street and south on Michigan Avenue, police said.
All of the carjacking and robbery victims generally described the offfenders as two black men in their late teens to mid-20’s who stand 5’8” to 6-feet tall.
Investigators strongly suspect the men are also responsible for another carjacking in Fulton Market and an armed robbery in River North.
At 10:49 p.m., a valet worker reported that three armed men, including one who wore a mask, forced him to turn over the keys to a black 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee on the 800 block of West Fulton.
Finally, around 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, two armed and masked men emerged from a black SUV and robbed a River North couple as the victims walked on the 600 block of North Clark, police said.
The 26-year-old man and 33-year-old woman handed over their wallet, phone, cash, and other valuables to the men who got back into the SUV and fled westbound on Erie.
About 20 minutes after the River North robbery, police found the stolen Jeep freshly abandoned on the 1400 block of West 71st Street in Englewood.
None of the victims reported injuries, police said.
