At least two of the armed robberies reported Monday evening in Old Town and Lincoln Park are part of a broader crime pattern that includes recent muggings in Andersonville and Lincoln Square, police said Tuesday.
Area Three detectives said in a community alert that the robbers approach people who are alone on the street and rob them at gunpoint. The crew has pistol-whipped “several” of the victims, the alert said.
Police linked four robberies to the crew over the past six days:
- At 10:50 p.m. last Wednesday, two men knocked a woman to the ground and robbed her on the 1400 block of West Farragut in Andersonville, according to a CPD report. They then fled in a car.
- In Lincoln Square on Friday, two robbers struck a man in the head with a pistol and robbed him on the 5000 block of North Claremont around 12:03 a.m., another report said. Once again, the offenders escaped in a car.
- Last night, two men stepped out of a gray sedan and robbed a 30-year-old man who was walking in the 1900 block of North Howe at 8:42 p.m, police said. After getting the victim’s iPhone and laptop, they returned to the car and fled.
- About 30 minutes later, a 25-year-old man was walking on the sidewalk when three offenders stepped out of a black sedan and hit him in the head with a handgun on the 1700 block of North North Park. The robbers took the victim’s wallet and iPhone and fled in a gray sedan.
Another robbery was reported between Monday’s hold-ups. In that case, a 41-year-old man was parking in his garage on the 1400 block of North Cleveland around 8:50 p.m. when a gunman stepped out of a gray car and tried to carjack him, police said. But the victim’s dog scared the offender away, and the hijacking attempt failed. Police did not include that case in the community alert.
Detectives said the robbers are two Black males between 20- and 30-years-old wearing black hoodies with face masks. They are driving a gray or silver four-door car that some victims said is a Dodge Charger.
Anyone with information about the crimes can contact Area Three detectives at 312-744-8263 about robbery pattern #P21-3-108.