Chicago — For the second night in a row, armed robbers swept through Chicago’s Near West Side neighborhoods overnight, leaving at least 13 victims in the wake of their crime wave. CWBChicago reported yesterday that at least nine victims had been targeted in a similar spree on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Another spike on Sunday claimed at least seven robbery victims.
According to preliminary information from Chicago police, today’s robberies began around 2:10 a.m. in the 2300 block of West Augusta. Three men exited a silver Toyota SUV and robbed a 33-year-old man of his phone, wallet, and book bag, then fled in the Toyota. Similar robberies, most involving gunmen who emerged from a silver SUV, were soon reported nearby:
- A 39-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint of his cash in the 700 block of West Grand at 2:20 a.m.
- A 52-year-old man was robbed of his wallet and phone in the 100 block of South Paulina around 2:40 a.m.
- A 43-year-old woman was robbed while pumping gas at a service station in the 500 block of North Ashland at 2:49 a.m.
- Three men were robbed at gunpoint of their wallets and phones in the 1600 block of West Warren around 3 a.m.
- At 3:07 a.m., a man and woman were robbed of their wallets and a backpack in the 1700 block of West Cullerton.
- A 57-year-old woman was robbed in the 1600 block of West Erie at 3:10 a.m.
- A 50-year-old woman was robbed in the 1500 block of West 21st Street at 3:18 a.m.
- A man was robbed while pumping gas at BP, 1602 West Cermak, around 5:30 a.m.
On Friday afternoon, CPD issued a community alert that said a victim was also robbed in the 1300 block of West Chicago Avenue around 2:45 a.m. According to the alert, the crew responsible for Friday’s crimes consists of a group of Black males between 18- and 25 years old who stand 5’8″ to 6-feet tall.
The holdups are occurring in areas that have been hard-hit by waves of similar robbery surges over the past month. While the pace of the robberies slowed after Chicago police made several arrests, it’s clear that some members of the robbery crew are still at work.
For about a month, armed crews have unleashed nearly 100 robberies during increasingly frequent crime sprees, with Chicago’s near west, northwest, and north sides being especially hard-hit.
Last Monday, Chicago police arrested a four-man crew that officials said was responsible for some of the robberies. They’re all being held without bail.
A concealed carry holder shot three members of a four-person robbery team that allegedly tried to rob him on December 5. Charges have been filed against three members of that group, and the fourth remains hospitalized after receiving a gunshot wound to his head.
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