A group of five men and pistol-whipped a man who was walking in the Lincoln Park neighborhood on Monday evening, police said. There are indications that the crime may be linked to two other armed robberies over the weekend.
Police said a 33-year-old man was walking on the 1200 block of West Webster when a dark blue car, possibly a Subaru, pulled up and the five robbers stepped from the vehicle around 10:40 p.m.
The group surrounded the man and displayed a firearm while demanding his property, according to a CPD spokesperson. One of the robbers then struck the victim in the back of his head with the gun.
Police said the victim ran from the scene and contacted CPD. He declined medical attention.
The robbery occurred just two blocks from where Dakotah Earley was shot during an armed robbery in May. While prosecutors have charged a man in connection with Earley’s shooting, other members of the robbery crew remain at large.
A law enforcement source expressed concern that the group, which has been active in weeks-long sprees since at least November, may be coming out of hibernation. They are known for becoming violent during hold-ups, often pistol-whipping victims, and robbing more than one person at a time.
Earlier Monday, a man and woman were taken to a hospital after armed robbers confronted them as they walked on the 600 block of West Cornelia in Boystown, police said.
The victims, a 58-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman, were on the sidewalk near Broadway when a white Mercedes sedan pulled up around 12:23 a.m. Three men stepped out of the car and one of them displayed a handgun while demanding the victims’ property, according to a CPD spokesperson.
The spokesperson said that when the male victim refused to comply, the gunman hit him in the head several times with the weapon. One of the other robbers confronted the woman and demanded her property. She complied.
The group then escaped in the Mercedes with property belonging to both victims. A dark sedan followed them from the area.
Both victims were taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center for treatment. Police said the man received treatment for lacerations to his head. The woman was admitted for observation.
On Sunday, three masked offenders robbed a 23-year-old man at gunpoint on the 2400 block of North Orchard around 2:15 a.m. They escaped in a gray Hyundai that had been stolen an hour earlier near Belmont and Clark streets in Lakeview.