Hijackers took two cars in a single incident outside Wrigley Field on Tuesday evening, according to Chicago police. No injuries were reported. Both cars were taken on the 1000 block of West Addison around 9 p.m., according to Officer Ronald Westbrooks, a CPD spokesperson.
One driver told police that two men took his 2013 Ford Edge at gunpoint and headed east on Addison Street, then south on Sheffield Avenue. He was taken to a local hospital to be checked out after he experienced chest pain.
The official CPD report was not finalized as of 5 a.m. Wednesday, so Westbrooks was unable to release further details about the hijacking, but he said it appears to be related to a second incident at the same location at the same time.
In the other case, a 33-year-old man parked his 2012 Mazda3 on the 1000 block of West Addison. As soon as the man and his female friend exited the car, a woman jumped out of a black Honda Crosstour and climbed into his vehicle, Westbrooks said. She was last seen driving the stolen car south on Sheffield, too.
Investigators are working to determine if the incidents are related to an armed crew that’s using a stolen black Honda SUV to commit robbery sprees across Lakeview and Lincoln Park in recent weeks, including one near DePaul University last week in which a gunshot was fired.
Three women, a 23-year-old and two 25-year-olds, were walking on the 2200 block of North Fremont when three men confronted them with handguns around 9:30 p.m. Friday, according to a CPD statement. The offenders demanded the victims’ property, and one of them fired a shot. No injuries were reported.
All three offenders fled south on Fremont in a black Honda SUV with the women’s purses and phones. No injuries were reported.
Lakeview and, to a lesser extent, the north end of Lincoln Park and Old Town have seen a surge in robberies since early November, with nearly 40 victims being held-up, according to CPD records. The Town Hall police district, which patrols Lakeview and the northern third of Lincoln Park, recorded 40 robberies during the first 28 days of November, up from 29 robberies during the period last year, according to CPD data.
