An armed man robbed at least seven people in about 30 minutes Tuesday morning while driving a hijacked vehicle around West Town and Humboldt Park, police said. The robberies may be linked to earlier armed robberies in the West Loop, but CPD has not officially connected the two sets of crimes.
Taking the incidents in chronological order:
At 10:04 p.m. Monday, an armed carjacker took a black Chevy Impala at gunpoint on the 200 block of South Maplewood in the Near West Side, said Karie James, a CPD spokesperson. Detectives believe the car was used in Tuesday morning’s robbery spree, she said.
About ten minutes later, a black sedan pulled in front of a bicyclist on the 1500 block of West Monroe, and four men got out to rob him at gunpoint. According to dispatch records, they took his phone, threw it on the ground, and continued heading east on Monroe in the sedan.
Then, shortly after midnight on the same block, four men got out of a small black car and robbed a man of his backpack at gunpoint. And one of the offenders threw the victim’s phone onto the ground before they drove away, a CPD report said.
Those two robberies have not been officially linked with the next five you’ll read about, but some of the upcoming victims also reported that the robbers threw their phones onto the ground before fleeing in the hijacked Chevy Impala.
According to James, the CPD spokesperson:
- A man wearing a black mask and a puffy black jacket robbed a 31-year-old woman at gunpoint as she got into her car on the 900 block of North Richmond around 7:22 a.m. Tuesday. He then fled in the hijacked Impala.
- Five minutes later, a similarly-described man displayed a gun and robbed a 28-year-old man who was standing on the 2700 block of West Division. Once again, the robber fled in the Impala. A source said the victim is a construction worker who was working on a project at Division and Washtenaw.
- Around 7:30 a.m., the offender got out of the Impala and robbed a 44-year-old man on the 2500 block of West Thomas. As the robbery was unfolding, a 28-year-old man happened to walk right into it. The gunman robbed him, too.
- Next, a 54-year-old woman was walking with a juvenile when the man robbed her on the 1100 block of North Washtenaw at 7:42 a.m.
- Then, at 7:50 a.m., he robbed two victims on the 2400 block of West Walton: a 29-year-old man who was getting out of a car and then robbed the victim’s co-worker who was nearby. The victims told police the robber smashed their phones on the ground before he left in the Impala, according to a source.
Officers were still sorting out everything that happened during the robbery spree, and additional cases may be discovered.
Police found the hijacked car abandoned on a vacant lot in the 3300 block of West Walnut around 8:10 a.m., James said. The robber has not been located.
A Black male between 20- and 30-years-old who wore a black ski mask, black puffy coat, and jeans hanging low to reveal multi-color underwear.
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