Police are investigating an armed robbery that unfolded near the Magnificent Mile on Thursday afternoon — just a block from where a gunman fired shots while robbing a victim on Wednesday afternoon.
Around 12:20 p.m. Thursday, a 31-year-old man was walking just east of Chicago and State streets when a small gray or silver SUV stopped in front of him, said CPD spokesperson Kellie Bartoli.
Two of the vehicle’s three occupants got out, displayed a gun, and took the man’s valuables, Bartoli said. They then got back into the SUV and fled westbound on Chicago Avenue. The victim was not injured.
On Wednesday, a 29-year-old man was walking in the 700 block of North Rush when an armed man displayed a handgun and tried to take his shopping bag around 2:15 p.m., police said. The robber fired three shots, causing the victim to fall to the ground. But the man was not struck by any bullets.
Wednesday’s robber fled from the scene in a silver Ford Explorer. Investigators are trying to determine if the two cases are linked.
About 45 minutes after the shots were fired, two women were robbed of a purse and shopping bags as they walked near Rush and Superior streets, about a block from where the Rush Street incident. The victims said a man wrestled away a blue handbag and two Victoria’s Secret bags containing recent purchases. He then fled north on Rush Street.
