Chicago — For the third day in a row and the fourth time this week, armed men committed a string of robberies and carjackings overnight, according to Chicago police. The crew targeted at least five people between 11:50 p.m. Thursday and 2:50 a.m. Friday from Lakeview to Wicker Park and West Town. No arrests have been made.
The crimes followed the same pattern reported by more than 20 victims earlier this week: up to four men carrying multiple firearms emerged from a car to rob people in public.
Police first responded to a call for help from a man who was robbed at gunpoint at Chase Bank, 3335 North Ashland, around 11:50 p.m. Thursday. He told the police that four men got out of a black SUV and took his cash and credit cards.
Then, a 74-year-old man was carjacked near his home in the 1600 block of West Le Moyne Wicker Park. He was getting out of his white Audi sedan around 12:18 a.m. when five gunmen exited a black SUV and took his keys, a police spokesperson said. The crew drove away with his car, accompanied by the SUV.
Another robbery was reported in Lakeview around 2:30 a.m. in the 1000 block of West Belmont. Chicago police said a 24-year-old man was walking when five men exited a black SUV with handguns and took his phone, laptop, and backpack.
Around the same time, four armed men exited a black SUV to carjack and rob a victim in the 2200 block of West Madison. They took the victim’s property and drove away with their blue 2021 Lincoln Aviator.
Finally, in West Town, a man was robbed at gunpoint in the 700 block of North Ashland. He told police that four men got out of a black SUV with guns, robbed him of his wallet and cash, and then sped away.
Officers who responded to the scenes described the robbers as young Black males wearing ski masks. That’s the same description that Chicago police released in a community alert about several robberies that occurred in Lincoln Park, West Town, and the Fulton River District on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
At least 14 people were robbed during that wave of robberies. More cases were reported Wednesday morning and Sunday. Chicago police warned the public about a three-robbery spree that unfolded in Humboldt Park on Wednesday afternoon.