Police are investigating two robberies of women that unfolded in Lakeview East on Thursday afternoon. One of the muggings took place just a block from where a food delivery driver was carjacked Wednesday evening, raising concerns that a hold-up crew may be frequenting the area.
Around 3 p.m. Thursday, a man jumped out of a blue or black Infiniti sedan and wrestled a woman’s purse away on the 900 block of West Barry, according to a CPD report.
About 15 minutes later, the same thing happened on the 500 block of West Cornelia. The mugger pushed that woman to the ground while taking her purse, another report said. He jumped into the passenger seat of a four-door Infiniti that sped from the scene.
Witnesses and the victims said at least two more people were in the getaway car. The primary suspect is a thin Black male in his late teens or early 20’s who stands about 5’10” tall. He wore a hoodie covering his head in the Cornelia robbery, but a witness saw twists in his hair during the first incident.
On Wednesday evening, a 60-year-old delivery person was dropping off food in the 3600 block of North Pine Grove when a man walked up and took control of his car at gunpoint, according to Karie James, a CPD spokesperson. A total of four offenders then got into the driver’s silver Toyota Camry and headed south on Pine Grove around 7:15 p.m., she said.
According to the victim, the primary carjacker was a skinny Black male who stands 5’10” to 6-feet tall.
Witnesses reported seeing a group of men lingering and approaching drivers on the 500 block of West Cornelia shortly before the carjacking took place about a block away.
Robberies in Lakeview East are up slightly from last year when COVID lockdowns and closures were in place. But reports remain far less common than during pre-pandemic years.
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