An armed man reportedly fired a gunshot during a brazen midday robbery on North Broadway this week, and it was caught on video.
CWBChicago first told you about the hold-up on Tuesday morning. We noted that one of the suspects appeared to have a tattoo over his right eye — a detail that may link the man to another robbery in the same area and Lakeview on November 6.
Video of Monday’s robbery shows a 30-year-old woman walking on the 4000 block of North Broadway around 11 a.m. Watch:
A black car with temporary license plates pulls over in front of the camera, and two men get out. They start walking toward the woman as the car’s driver pulls a U-turn.
They force the woman against a wall and rob her at gunpoint, taking her iPhone and a tan tote bag that contained her wallet and an umbrella.
The victim told police that one of the men fired a gun in her direction, CPD spokesperson Kellie Bartoli said.
One of the men clearly displays a handgun as he heads toward the getaway car. Then, at the 40-second mark, a puff of smoke rises from his hand, and the woman crouches down to protect herself.
Bartoli said police did not find any shell casings at the scene.
Monday’s robbery is the second in which offenders fired a handgun since Friday evening.
In the earlier hold-up, three armed men confronted three women at gunpoint on the 2200 block of North Fremont around 9:30 p.m. Friday. That’s near the DePaul University athletic field in Lincoln Park.
They demanded the victims’ property, and one of them fired a shot during the robbery. All three offenders fled south on Fremont in a black Honda SUV with the women’s purses and phones. No injuries were reported.
Six people were robbed across Lakeview and Buena Park on November 6, according to CPD records, and some of those victims said one of the gunmen had a tattoo over his right eye:
- Around midnight on the 700 block of West Buena, a gunman stepped out of a silver SUV that was driven by a woman and robbed a 23-year-old man of his wallet. The robbery scene is about three blocks from Monday’s.
- At 1:21 a.m., the offender robbed a 27-year-old man and a 28-year-old man who were walking on the 1000 block of West Diversey. He displayed a handgun and took the victims’ wallets and other items before returning to the silver SUV, Bartoli said.
- At 2:10 a.m., a 26-year-old man was robbed in a similar fashion as he walked on the 3400 block of North Clark in Wrigleyville.
- The gunman struck again at 2:49 a.m. in the 2900 block of North Broadway. Bartoli said a 27-year-old man was walking when the gunman got out of a silver SUV and took his wallet and phone.
- One minute later, the robber mugged a 21-year-old woman who was walking in the 3200 block of North Broadway, Bartoli said. As in the other hold-ups, he displayed a gun and took the victim’s valuables, then escaped in the SUV.
Area Three detectives are investigating the robberies, which are part of a month-long surge in hold-ups across the area.
