An armed robbery crew shot a man during a carjacking attempt on the West Side, then went on a cross-city crime spree that left at least 15 victims in their wake overnight, according to Chicago police. The same group committed five robberies on the north and near west sides last week, according to CPD.
The group is made up of four men who carry multiple handguns and confront people on the street and in cars. In addition to shooting one victim last night, they pistol-whipped several others, according to a community alert issued by Chicago police.
Around 1 a.m., the crime spree began at a gas station in the 200 block of North Western. According to police, a 46-year-old man was sitting in his vehicle when a car pulled in front of him and three men jumped out, demanding his car. Police said they shot the man in the groin and right thigh after he refused to cooperate. The victim is doing well at Stroger Hospital.
Then, the group committed a string of robberies over the next two hours, according to CPD. Police reports say the crew:
- stole a 2020 Lexus from the 1500 block of West 33rd Street. They then used the vehicle as their getaway car as they committed hold-ups.
- robbed a woman at gunpoint of her keys, purse, and headphones on Goose Island in the 1100 block of North Hooker around 1:40 a.m.
- robbed two taxi drivers in the 1400 and 1500 blocks of North Larrabee around 1:50 a.m. The group beat one of the victims with a handgun.
- robbed two men at gunpoint outside a condo building in the 300 block of West Hubbard at 2 a.m. They got away with a luxury watch and cash.
- robbed another taxi driver in the 2100 block of South Prairie at 2:10 a.m.
- tried to carjack a driver in the 500 block of West Roosevelt at 2:14 a.m. The hijacking failed.
- opened the door of a woman’s car as she sat in the 700 block of West Grand and took her purse at gunpoint around 2:34 a.m. The crew found the keys to the woman’s car in her purse and returned to steal her white Land Rover Discovery, which they started using as their getaway car.
- robbed two women and a man standing on a parking lot in the 700 block of West Jackson at 2:43 a.m.
- robbed a woman in front of 7-Eleven, 1524 West Taylor, at 3:05 a.m.
- robbed and pistol-whipped a woman in the 1500 block of North Ashland at 3:32 a.m.
- committed a final robbery in the 2800 block of West Chicago at 3:40 a.m.
According to Chicago police, the robbers are Black males aged 15 to 30 who wore dark clothing and ski masks. They have at least three handguns with them.
Anyone with information about the crimes is asked to call Area Three detectives at 312-744-8263 and reference crime pattern P22-CWP-024A.
CPD said the same crew committed five robberies last Tuesday, September 27, at:
- 10:08 p.m. in the 600 block of West Fullerton
- 11:30 p.m. in the 1400 block of West Lake
- at 11:32 p.m. in the 1300 block of West Fulton
- at 11:38 p.m. in the 500 block of West Division
- at 11:40 p.m. in the 1600 block of North Claremont
Would you please support CWBChicago’s reporting efforts with a contribution or subscription?