Chicago — Just two days after a concealed carry holder neutralized an armed robbery crew that had been pillaging the near west and north sides, another carload of bandits continued to work the area on Wednesday morning, according to preliminary Chicago Police Department reports.
At least eight holdups were reported in the area around Humboldt Park, Wicker Park, and Logan Square between 1:45 a.m. and 6 a.m. Most cases involved two or three armed men traveling in a small black SUV, possibly a Kia.
According to early information:
- Three masked men robbed another man at gunpoint near Chicago and Damen around 1:45 a.m.
- A man was robbed outside Logan Arcade, 2410 West Fullerton, around 2:08 a.m. The robbers forced him to provide his phone PIN before they left.
- At about 2:54 a.m., another man was walking near the 1500 block of North Ashland when a robber jumped out of an SUV, put a gun to his head, struck him in the face with the weapon, and took his valuables.
- Police said another robbery occurred in the 2700 block of West Augusta at 3:05 a.m.
- Two men chased and tried to rob a man outside the California Blue Line station, 2211 North California, around 3:35 a.m.
- At about 4:15 a.m., a gunman stepped out of a vehicle and robbed a man in the 1500 block of North Western Avenue.
- Yet another man was robbed by a gunman who stepped out of a black vehicle in the 2300 block of West Rice around 5:30 a.m.
- Two men traveling in a black Kia robbed another man in the 3400 block of West Armitage around 5:45 a.m.
- A similar robbery was reported by a man who said he was targeted in the 3100 block of West Division around 5:44 a.m.
A CPD community alert said additional robberies occurred in the:
- 2700 block of N Central Ave on December 7, 2022 at 4:21am
- 4000 block of N Central Ave on December 7, 2022 at 4:42am
- 5300 block W Berenice Ave on December 7, 2022 at 4:44am
- 5200 block of W North Ave on December 7, 2022 at 5:00am
- 1600 block of N Cicero Ave on December 7, 2022 at 6:20 am
Over 40 people were robbed on the Near West Side and North Side during a streak of robbery sprees. On Monday morning, the Wicker Park neighborhood was especially hard-hit by a carload of armed men. After leaving Wicker Park, the car they were traveling in rolled up on a man sitting in his vehicle in the Austin neighborhood.
Three men got out, and one pointed a firearm at the man while demanding his belongings, according to a Chicago police statement. The would-be victim, a licensed concealed carry holder, drew his weapon and fired several rounds, striking the driver of the getaway car in the temple and another robber in the shoulder, according to police.
The stolen car traveled a short distance, then crashed, causing a passenger in its back seat to suffer a broken leg, the CPD statement said.
A total of four suspects were taken into custody, all are believed to be males between 15- and 18-years-old, police said. But no charges have been announced.
As CWBChicago reported throughout the weekend, law enforcement sources said they believed at least two groups of armed men are responsible for dozens of similar robberies since mid-November. Police have issued a flurry of community alerts about the growing crime patterns.
