A robber knocked a Lakeview woman to the ground during a robbery outside her apartment building on Saturday evening, but he wound up losing money in the crime, according to police.
The 22-year-old victim was entering an apartment building courtyard on the 500 block of West Addison when the man approached her from behind and demanded her property, the report said. At one point, the man claimed to have a knife as the woman was on the ground, but a police spokesperson said he did not get anything from the victim.
However, he did manage to drop his cellphone at the crime scene, the spokesperson added.
Police searched the area for a suspect described as a Black male who stands about 5’10” tall, wearing a black hoodie, surgical mask, and red pants. He was last seen heading east on Addison Street. According to the report, one witness told officers that he may have fled in a BMW X5 that was waiting nearby with at least one other occupant.
Robbery reports in CPD’s Lakeview-based Town Hall (19th) District are down 52% this year through February 6 when compared to the same period last year, according to the city’s data. There were 33 cases last year and 16 this year.
Citywide, robberies have inched slightly higher this year, but the two police districts that served downtown are seeing sharp increases. Hold-ups have increased 31% in the Near North (18th) District and 43% in the Central (1st) District, CPD records show.
