For the second time in less than a week, Chicago police are warning CTA passengers about a robbery crew that is targeting victims along the Red Line between Lincoln Park and the Loop.
When detectives issued their first warning about the group last week, investigators had connected the crew to three Red Line muggings. They now say the group is responsible for at least eight muggings on the train system since July 2.
Groups of between two and five men are demanding valuables from CTA customers on trains or platform and they’ll attack any victims who don’t comply, according to the community alert.
Robberies connected to the crew were reported on the Red Line:
- at the Roosevelt station at 3:20 a.m. July 2
- at the Lake station at 2:20 p.m. July 2
- at the Fullerton station at 7 p.m. July 2
- at the Grand station at 7:30 p.m. July 2
- at the Clark-Division station at 11:23 p.m. July 2
- at the Roosevelt station on the evening of July 7
- at the Jackson station on the evening of July 7
- at the Lake station on the evening of July 9
The police alert said the group consists of Black men between 19- and 25-years-old who stand 5’6″ to 6-feet tall and weigh 130-150 pounds. According to the Grand station victim, one robber wore all black clothing with a black mask, and one of the taller offenders wore a baby blue shirt.
Anyone with information about the crimes can contact Area Three detectives at 312-744-8263 regarding pattern P20-3-131B.
Grand robbery details
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. About 15 minutes after the robbery, one of the victim’s stolen credit cards was used at Popeye’s restaurant, 156 North Wabash.
Clark-Division robbery details
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.