CHICAGO — Armed robbers fired a shot at a Rogers Park service station employee late Monday night, but a ballistic shield stopped the bullet in its tracks. The same offenders are suspected of robbing a restaurant in the neighborhood less than an hour later. No injuries were reported at either location.
Three men walked into Devon Shell, 1500 West Devon, around 11 p.m. Monday and tried to get into the cashier’s secure area to rob the clerk, an officer said. But the room was securely locked, and they could not get in.
Before leaving, one of the men pulled out a gun and fired a shot into the bulletproof barrier that protects the clerk. Cops recovered a shell casing at the scene.
After reviewing surveillance video, an officer radioed descriptions of three suspects, all Hispanic men in their late teens who were 5’8″ to 5’11” tall. The gunman wore a black “Champion” sweatshirt with black pants with a white bone design down the legs, mismatched flip-flops, and a surgical mask.
Another wore a black hoodie with gray pants and black Air Force 1s. He carried a white plastic bag from Corner Bakery. The third wore a blue hoodie with a Nike symbol and gray pants.
Just before midnight, at least two of the men successfully robbed Wingstop, 7003 North Clark. One of them pulled a gun, and they took the store’s cash register trays, according to a CPD report.
While citywide robbery reports sit at a five-year high, up 14% from last year, incidents in the Rogers Park (24th) District are down sharply.
The district recorded 98 robberies through Sunday, down 27% from last year. Robberies are down 5% from 2019 in the area.