Chicago — Armed robbers targeted two couples in separate crimes as the victims walked in Lincoln Park early Sunday morning, Chicago police said. The holdups are the latest in a string of robberies that have happened almost every night on the North Side and downtown since Monday.
In the latest incidents, according to a Chicago police spokesperson:
- Three robbers approached a man and woman as the victims walked in the 2600 block of North Burling around 2:25 a.m. One of the robbers pulled out a handgun and demanded their property. A fight broke out after one of the victims tried to kick the robber. All of the offenders escaped in a dark-colored vehicle.
- A man and woman were robbed at gunpoint in the 500 block of West Belden around 3 a.m. Three men approached the victims and robbed them while brandishing handguns. The crew fled on Belden eastbound in a black sedan, possibly an Acura.
On Monday, gunmen robbed two couples in separate holdups in Lincoln Park:
- A dark SUV pulled up on the 400 block of West Arlington, and three or four men wearing ski masks got out while displaying a firearm, said Kellie Bartoli, a Chicago police spokesperson. A man and woman, both 31, were sitting in a nearby car when two of the robbers slid into their back seat and demanded the victims’ belongings around 10:50 p.m. Following the robbery, the offenders returned to the SUV and drove south on Lakeview Avenue.
- Around 11:10 p.m., three masked men approached a couple from behind in the 2000 block of North Orleans. Bartoli said one of the offenders displayed a gun and ordered the victims to the ground. The 26-year-old woman and 27-year-old man complied. After taking property from the victims, the robbers fled south in a dark SUV with tinted windows, Bartoli said. She said the getaway vehicles may have been a Mitsubishi Outlander or Nissan Murano. The police did not release descriptions of the robbers.
Another string of robberies occurred late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning, mainly in Uptown. Three robberies and two carjackings, believed to be committed by one group of between six and eight offenders, were reported early Thursday morning in West Rogers Park and the Northwest Side. Another wave of hijackings and robberies was reported early Saturday morning in West Rogers Park and downtown.
Exactly how many groups are responsible for the latest robbery spike is not yet clear.
Robbery reports are up 15% this year, according to Chicago police records. Holdups have increased 11% compared to 2020 and 2019 but are down 10% when compared to 2018, the records show.
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