A serial robbery offender held up three businesses in Lakeview and Uptown on Sunday. The same man is suspected of targeting another store in Lincoln Square on Saturday, and he has been linked to at least four similar crimes on the North Side since August 24. CWBChicago first told you about the suspect on August 26.
The robber typically jumps the counter at convenience stores or small fast food restaurants and takes merchandise and money, sometimes after smashing cash registers on the ground.
Most recently, he held up 7-Eleven at 3801 North Western around 5:50 p.m. Sunday. He went behind the counter, broke the register, and took the money, according to a CPD report. He fled eastbound and removed his black shirt, then continued fleeing.
The suspect, a Black male with short hair who’s between 15- and 20-years-old, was wearing a mask, black shorts with the word “Adidas” on the side, and distinctive yellow gym shoes. He may use a bicycle.
Earlier Sunday, he robbed the 7-Eleven store at 1136 West Wilson around 1:40 p.m. and the Subway restaurant at 3952 North Sheridan around 4:45 p.m. After the Subway robbery, the man fled north on Sheridan, then north through an alley between Kenmore and Sheridan, according to witnesses.
On Saturday, the robber and an accomplice worked in tandem to rob the 7-Eleven store at 4631 North Western around 5 a.m., according to a CPD report. One served as a lookout while the other man jumped the counter, smashed the register, and took its cash. Both men arrived on bicycles that they parked at a nearby CTA station, according to a witness.
In some cases, including Saturday’s, the man asks store employees why they don’t have very much money on-hand.
The two-man team was the focus of a Chicago police community alert last week. In the warning to North Side businesses, detectives said one offender worked as a lookout while the other robbed businesses on:
- the 6400 block of North Sheridan at 10:04 p.m. August 24
- the 3500 block of North Clark around 4:30 p.m. August 25
- the 3800 block of North Broadway around 6:55 p.m. on August 25
- the 5300 block of North Broadway around 10:40 p.m. on August 26
The men robbed two stores on August 25. First, they entered 7-Eleven, 3519 North Clark, at 4:32 p.m. One of them stood watch near the door while the other went behind the counter and ordered the cashier to step aside, police said. The offender then opened the cash register and took several bundles of cash, according to CPD spokesperson Sally Bown. They fled southbound on bicycles. One of them had a black plastic bag.
Then, just before 7 p.m., the men went to the Subway restaurant at 3815 North Broadway. One of the men stood lookout while the other jumped the counter, smashed a cash box onto the floor, and stole its contents, according to a CPD report. He placed the money in a black shopping bag, and the men again fled on bicycles, Bown said.
Police found the offenders’ bicycles abandoned near the Sheridan Red Line station.
In the alert, police said both offenders are Black males between 15- and 20-years-old who stand 5’7” to 5’10” tall and weigh 120-150 pounds. They wear masks, black t-shirts, and black pants, according to the notice.
Anyone with information about the crimes can contact Area Three detectives at 312-744-8263 regarding pattern P20-3-162.
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