Update: On December 8, Chicago police said a fourth robbery involving an offender who fled in a U-Haul box truck occurred in the 500 block of East Grand around 10:10 a.m. on Tuesday. According to the alert, the robber is a Black male between 20 and 30-years-old, wearing a blue, black, and gray jacket with dark jeans.
Chicago — Three women, including a 72-year-old and a 62-year-old, have been mugged this week on the North Side by a man who escaped in a small U-Haul box truck. After robbing the women, the offender quickly drives to a store, usually Target, and uses the victim’s credit cards to buy merchandise and gift cards.
All of the robberies have occurred near the lakefront, between Lakeview and Edgewater.
First, the robber approached a 62-year-old woman from behind and took her purse in the 600 block of West Bittersweet around 11:32 a.m. on Monday, police said. The woman fell to the ground but was not injured.
According to a police report, her credit cards were used within minutes at the River North Target, 630 North LaSalle.
On Tuesday, the same scenario played out twice.
Around 1:30 p.m., a 72-year-old woman was standing near a vehicle in the 5900 block of North Kenmore when a man walked up behind her and took her purse and bag, police said. Once again, the robber escaped in a U-Haul truck that headed toward Sheridan Road.
Then, around 9:39 p.m., a 49-year-old woman was targeted in the 3000 block of North Pine Grove. According to the police, a man approached the woman from behind and demanded her possessions. She fell to the ground as they fought over her purse, but the man eventually got it.
A witness chased the robber until the offender slipped into a smaller U-Haul box truck in an alley and headed toward Sheridan Road. Once again, the victim’s credit cards were used at a Target store shortly after the robbery, a CPD document said.
The first robbery involved a robber described as a Black male who stood about 6’1″ tall and was wearing a red hoodie and gray vest. No description was available for the second incident. On Pine Grove, an officer at the scene said the offender was a Black male who stood about 5’11” tall and wore a puffy gray jacket and a mask.
Detectives from Area Three are handling the investigations.
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