Old Town hold-up linked to series of armed robberies, cops say

Armed robbers who’ve pulled off a series of hold-ups downtown and in Lincoln Park struck again in Old Town, according to an alert from Area Three detectives. The hold-up crew fired shots during one daylight robbery near the Magnificent Mile earlier this month.

In an update to their previous warning about the robbery team, Chicago police say the offenders committed a robbery in the 1600 block of North LaSalle on the morning of November 22.

CWBChicago has learned the robbery took place at the BP service station, 1647 North LaSalle, around 3:38 a.m. The cashier told police that a man brandished a gun, robbed her of the register money, and then fled southbound on Clark Street.

She said the offender was a slim Black male who stood about 5’9” tall and wore a black hoodie with a blue and white mask. He reportedly flashed a silver pistol.

Police previously linked three robberies to the crime pattern:

On November 9, a 29-year-old man was walking in the 700 block of North Rush when someone tried to take his shopping bag around 2:15 p.m., police said. The offender displayed a handgun and then fired three shots toward the victim, who fell to the ground. He was not seriously injured. Police said the victim declined medical attention.

The robber fled from the scene eastbound in a silver Ford Explorer with the man’s property. Police believe the Explorer had been recently stolen from a car dealership.

Then, on November 12,  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 around 12:20 p.m., said CPD spokesperson Kellie Bartoli. Two of the vehicle’s 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.

The next day, a group of three people was robbed at gunpoint by three offenders in Lincoln Park, police said. The victims — a pair of 22-year-old men and a 23-year-old woman — were on a sidewalk in the 2200 block of North Halsted when the robbers walked up and displayed a handgun around 10:39 p.m., according to CPD spokesperson Officer Michael Carroll.

The suspects are two to three Black males who stand 5’8” to 6-feet tall, weigh 160 to 200 pounds, and are between 25- and 40-years-old, according to CPD’s alerts.

Anyone with information about the crimes can contact Area Three detectives at 312-744-8263 regarding case P20-3-209.

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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