A group of carjackers targeted three drivers in 21 minutes Saturday evening around the Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods, police said. No arrests have been made.
The crime spree started at 6:07 p.m. in Avondale, according to a bulletin from Area Five detectives. In that case, a man told police that three offenders took his powder blue 2013 Hyundai Elantra at gunpoint from outside his home.
Less than an hour later, the carjackers struck repeatedly in Wicker Park and Bucktown. Two of the victims managed to maintain control of their vehicles by fighting the offenders, according to CPD reports.
At 6:57 p.m., two men got out of a light-colored Volkswagen and punched a man in the face as he sat in his Lexus on the 1900 block of West Cortland. They tried to take his vehicle, but they fled when he screamed and resisted, the man reported.
Then, around 7:10 p.m., a group of men got out of Volkswagen and tried to carjack a man in the 1600 block of North Paulina. That driver also defended himself, and the robbers drove away westbound on North Avenue.
Less than ten minutes later, a group of men got out of a gray or silver Volkswagen, battered a woman, and took her gray Honda CR-V in the 1800 block of North Wood, according to a police report. The woman was not seriously injured.
Police quickly issued a community alert that links the four cases to three men. According to the bulletin, the offenders are:
- A Black male between 20- and 30-years-old who wore a green sweatshirt with gray pants
- A Black male between 20- and 30-years-old who wore a black hoodie
- A Black male who was not described further
Anyone with information about the crimes can contact Area Five detectives at 312-746-7394 regarding pattern P20-3-210.