Three people were attacked Thursday evening in a pair of violent robberies on the Red Line downtown. No arrests have been made. Groups of four or five offenders were involved in both of the crimes, police said.
First, a 27-year-old man told police he was riding a northbound Red Line train near Grand when a stranger leaned close and demanded his phone around 7:30 p.m., a CPD spokesperson said. When the victim refused, three more men approached him. They punched and kneed the victim in his face, then slammed his head onto the floor of the train before taking his phone and wallet, according to the spokesperson.
All four offenders fled when the train arrived at the Grand station.
An ambulance crew treated the man for injuries to his nose, eye, and head, but he did not want to go to a hospital, police said.
The victim said the robbers were Black males in their late teens or early 20’s. One wore all black clothing with a black mask and another is about 6-feet tall and wore a baby blue shirt. About 15 minutes after the robbery, one of the victim’s stolen credit cards was used at Popeye’s restaurant, 156 North Wabash.
Then, two teenagers were robbed by a group of acquaintances as they stood on the Clark-Division Red Line station platform around 11:23 p.m., police said.
The victims, ages 14 and 18, said two offenders choked the 18-year-old and punched him in the stomach before taking his backpack. Then, the two robbers took the younger victim’s bag and ran from the station, accompanied by three other males who stood nearby during the attack.
Both victims declined medical attention. Police did not release descriptions of any suspects in the second incident.
Area Three detectives are investigating both robberies.