Armed robbers robbed three women, pistol-whipping one of them, on a West Town street overnight, police said. The hold-ups are part of a wave of armed robberies that have hit parts of the city during late night hours this week.
The women, two 35-year-olds and a 36-year-old, were walking in the 1500 block of West Blackhawk when four men confronted them with handguns around 2:33 a.m., CPD spokesperson Kellie Bartoli said.
A robber hit one of the younger women in the back of her head with a handgun during the robbery, Bartoli said. After getting the victims’ property, the group escaped in a gray SUV that headed north.
Bartoli said the injured woman was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital in good condition.
A witness reported seeing a group of men dragging a screaming woman, then apparently letting her go when they realized someone was watching.
Robberies in the Shakespeare (14th) Police District, which includes the site of this morning’s robbery, are up 49% compared to last year, according to CPD’s latest statistical report.
Shakespeare’s robbery tally is up a whopping 89% compared to 2020 and 27% versus 2019.
Citywide, robbery cases are up 21% compared to last year.
Police responded to a string of carjackings and armed robberies stretching from River North to Andersonville in the hours before the women were attacked. At least three armed robberies were reported early Thursday in Lakeview and Rogers Park. Twelve people were robbed early Wednesday in West Town, the West Loop, downtown, and the North Side. Others were targeted in a string of crimes Tuesday.
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