A woman who was preparing to work as an election judge was robbed at gunpoint of her purse containing election-related materials Tuesday morning in the Loop, according to a CPD report. Another woman reported that a man fired a gun at her as she parked her car nearby around the same time. No one is in custody.
Police said a 34-year-old woman had just parked her car in the first block of East Randolph when a man walked up, displayed a gun, and fired one shot at her around 4:45 a.m. Tuesday. The bullet struck the driver’s side window frame of her car, CPD spokesperson Kellie Bartoli said, but the woman was not injured.
The victim got into her car, sped from the scene, and reported the incident to police stationed nearby. Officers found a spent shell casing near the corner of Randolph and Wabash streets.
About ten minutes later, a 33-year-old woman who was reportedly preparing to work as an election judge was robbed at gunpoint less than a block away. She told police that a man approached her from behind, displayed a handgun, and demanded her property in the 100 block of North Wabash around 4:56 a.m., Bartoli said. The woman surrendered a bag she was carrying, and he ran from the scene. She was not injured, according to Bartoli.
Officers who handled the robbery call said the offender got away with documents that the woman needed for her work at the election site. Exactly what kinds of materials were taken is not clear. An email to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners was not immediately returned Tuesday morning.
The hold-up victim described the robber as a Black man who stands about 5’9” tall. He wore all black clothing and a mask with the words “Black Lives Matter” on the front, she said. He was last seen heading westbound on Randolph from Wabash after the hold-up.
Area Three detectives are investigating both incidents.