CHICAGO — Police are investigating a 20-minute armed robbery spree that unfolded in Humboldt Park, Logan Square, and Bucktown around midnight today. Chicago police took at least three robbery reports, and a fourth victim declined to meet with officers.
All of the robberies involved one or two masked men who stepped out of a small black Kia SUV with handguns to rob victims on the street. The police later determined that the Kia was stolen.
According to preliminary information:
- A woman was robbed of her wallet in the 1400 block of North Campbell in Humboldt Park around 11:50 p.m. Saturday
- Another woman was robbed in the 2900 block of West McLean in Logan Square around midnight
- A man and his girlfriend were robbed in the 1400 block of North Maplewood in Humboldt Park around 12:10 a.m. The offenders got away with the couple’s wallets and phones.
In addition to the documented robberies above, a police dispatcher radioed that the Chicago 911 center had received a call from a woman whose boyfriend was struck over the head and robbed near St. Paul and Winnebago shortly after midnight. The dispatcher said the victim did not want to meet with police, but the robbery involved two men who jumped out of a small SUV with guns.
The victims generally described the offenders as two Black males, possibly juveniles, who wore masks and dark clothing.
All the robberies occurred in an area repeatedly hit by similar holdup sprees, usually involving gunmen traveling in stolen Kias or Hyundais. When police arrested two robbers involved in an early morning crime wave across the area earlier this month, they turned out to be just 13 and 15 years old.
Robbery reports in the local police district are up 10% over last year, 43% compared to 2021, 125% compared to 2020, and 52% from 2019, according to CPD’s latest statistical report.