Old Town: Armed man mugs woman near dry cleaners he robbed Tuesday

The robber, who is armed with a knife, has apparently struck twice this week near Orchard and Willow streets. | Google

He came back.

An armed man who robbed an Old Town dry cleaners Tuesday and then confronted a woman in her apartment nearby returned to the area and robbed another woman Thursday evening, police believe.

Witnesses called 911 to report that man who robbed the cleaners was standing outside the shop at 703 West Willow around 6 p.m. yesterday. As police headed to the scene, they received another call of a woman being robbed at knifepoint on the street nearby.

Officers found a woman at the scene who confirmed that she had just been robbed near Orchard and Willow streets.

On Tuesday, a man entered Willow Cleaners, displayed a knife, pushed the store’s 77-year-old worker out of the way, and took cash from the register around 11:30 a.m., police said. The victim told police that the same man took money from the cleaners on Monday, but the store did not call police about the incident.

Then, around 4:45 p.m., a 26-year-old woman found a man kneeling on her bedroom floor in the 800 block of West Armitage, according to CPD spokesperson Officer Ronald Westbrooks. He told the woman to put her phone away and not call anyone, but the woman ran out. He then fled through a nearby alley with her MacBook, purse, and bank cards, Westbrooks said.

The three victims have generally described the suspect as a Black male in his 20’s or early 30’s who stands about 6’1” tall and wears a blue hoodie, dark pants, and a surgical mask.

Area Three detectives are investigating the incidents.

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com