Armed men who robbed a family that was walking in Streeterville on Tuesday evening are suspected of committing several similar crimes downtown, in the South Loop, in Old Town, and elsewhere over the past few days. No arrests have been made, and the offenders are apparently not afraid to target multiple people simultaneously.
At 10:44 p.m. yesterday, a 48-year-old man was walking with his family on the 100 block of East Grand when a black car pulled up and four men got out — three armed with handguns. The offenders then robbed the family of four phones, four wallets, electronics, and jewelry, according to a CPD report. Then, the crew drove away.
Around the same time, another victim reported being robbed by three men who got out of a black car on the 200 block of East Superior. One of the robbers displayed a handgun.
About 30 minutes before the two Streeterville robberies unfolded, a man was robbed by two gunmen who emerged from a black car at 21 East Cullerton in the South Loop.
Police believe all three robberies and at least three others reported elsewhere in the city yesterday were committed by the same group of men who were using a black Honda Civic bearing a license plate beginning with BY503, according to a source. The Honda is stolen.
The offenders have consistently been described as Black men in their teens or early 20’s who wear all black clothing and black masks.
Among other recent robberies that may be linked to the same crew:
- At 12:20 a.m. Monday, three 19-year-old men told police they were walking on the 100 block of West Goethe in Old Town when two men got out of a black Porsche Cayenne and approached them with handguns, according to a CPD spokesperson. The offenders took the victims’ wallets and phones, then fled westbound on Goethe in the Porsche.
- At 12:10 a.m. Tuesday, a man was pistol-whipped and robbed by four offenders who got out of a red Acura MDX on the 1400 block of South Wabash in the South Loop. An ambulance treated the victim for injuries.
Area Three detectives are heading up the investigations.