A group of armed men robbed four more people in Lakeview this morning in a growing pattern of violent hold-ups across the neighborhood and nearby Lincoln Park.
Chicago police confirmed that a 52-year-old man was robbed on the 1500 block of West Waveland around 12:35 a.m. Two men approached the victim and one of them put a gun to his head while demanding his property. The second robber collected the victim’s valuables and they both fled in a silver sedan, the spokesperson said.
About ten minutes later, two men armed with handguns confronted three people near the corner of Cornelia and Broadway in Boystown. The victims were walking when the gunmen confronted them, took their phones and wallets, then fled in a dark sedan.
The same group is suspected of committing both crimes. It is not clear if they switched cars or if its color appeared different because of lighting.
Both victims said the robbers were Black males in their late teens to early 20s who wore dark hoodies.
A source said the robbers are likely the same group that has committed at least ten other robberies across Lakeview and Lincoln Park since last Wednesday night.
The crimes include the vicious shooting of 23-year-old Dakotah Earley at the intersection of Webster and Wayne in Lincoln Park last Friday morning.
In addition to shooting Earley, the crew also fired shots at another robbery victim on the 2600 block of North Bosworth on Wednesday evening, an internal CPD report said. The bullets missed that victim.
The same report said the group used a silver sedan, a gold Toyota Camry, a black Toyota Camry, and a white BMW. The BMW has been recovered. Again, it is not clear if the other cars are different or if lighting altered the appearance of a vehicle.
Investigators suspect the crew also robbed three people early Monday, In one case, they threatened to shoot a witness if they tried to help the man who was being robbed.
At 4:35 a.m. Monday, two witnesses reported a robbery in progress near Wolcott and Diversey on the border of Lakeview and Lincoln Park. Both callers reported a bicyclist was down on the ground with a silver SUV nearby and at least one man holding a gun near the biker, according to dispatch records.
One caller thought the bicyclist had been struck by the SUV. They said another man at the scene had a gun and threatened to shoot anyone who helped the bicyclist, according to police radio traffic.
A short time later, police responded to a nearby athletic club to take a robbery report from a man who said he had just been robbed at gunpoint by two men in a gray SUV near Diversey and Clybourn. The victim said the men took his phone, wallet, and other items, then headed west on Diversey in the car.
Earlier Monday, a group of armed robbers emerged from a gray SUV and confronted two men who were walking on the 900 block of West Armitage around 1:03 a.m., CPD spokesperson Kellie Bartoli said.
One victim, a 26-year-old man, fell and was robbed at gunpoint of his wallet and cash, Bartoli said. The other victim, 25, ran away. He asked a passerby to call 911 and then took shelter at a nearby convenience store until police arrived.
Last Friday evening, Area Three detectives linked eight robberies to the team in a community alert Friday evening:
- on the 2900 block of North Clark at 10:45 p.m. Wednesday. Three men stepped out of a silver four-door sedan and confronted two men, ages 23 and 33, who were walking nearby. Two of the offenders displayed guns while the third took items from the victims’ pockets, including a set of car keys, said Bartoli, the CPD spokesperson. The younger victim reported that the crew also stole his white BMW sedan, which was parked on the 2900 block of North Halsted.
- the North Bosworth robbery described above at 10:50 p.m. Wednesday.
- on the 1100 block of West Wellington at 11 p.m. Wednesday.
- on the 3000 block of North Racine at 10 p.m. Thursday. A 22-year-old woman told police she was walking when a man wearing a yellow hoodie and surgical mask approached her from behind, according to Bartoli. He displayed a gun, took her property, and fled west on Barry Avenue in a white sedan that was waiting with two other people inside, Bartoli said. Police have determined that the getaway car is the white 2018 BMW robbers took the night before, a source said.
- on the 2600 block of North Racine at 10:26 p.m. Thursday. A 23-year-old man told police that a robber confronted him at gunpoint as he walked down the street.
- on the 700 block of West Aldine at 12:30 a.m. Friday. A 30-year-old man said two masked men stepped out of a black sedan and demanded his property at gunpoint as he was walking. One offender punched him in the face when he started screaming, Bartoli said. He ran away, and the offenders escaped without getting anything.
- on the 1100 block of West Fullerton at 3 a.m. Friday. A DePaul University student was walking when a white sedan pulled up and a gunman emerged from the passenger seat to demand his property, according to a safety bulletin from the school.
- the robbery and shooting of Earley on the 1300 block of West Webster at 3:05 a.m. Friday.
The suspects are Black males between 16- and 30-years-old who wear ski masks, the alert said.
You can provide information about the crimes to Area Three detectives at 312-744-8263. Refer to crime pattern P22-3-032.
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