CHICAGO — While the arrest of a four-person robbery crew this week is a step in the right direction, Chicago police have more work to do if they want to end the relentless wave of holdup sprees plaguing many areas of the city.
CWB has been reporting that our law enforcement sources have indicated they believe at least three groups of robbers have been trolling the city.
And on Friday, with most of the recently-arrested robbers safely tucked away in jail cells, at least 14 people were robbed during a pair of holdup sprees—one in the morning and another at night.
The morning crime spree began around 4 a.m. in the 2800 block of West Cortez in Humboldt Park: A 22-year-old woman and three other people were walking when two men wearing masks and gloves confronted them with a handgun, according to a Chicago police spokesperson.
The woman and one of the other victims complied. But a group of bystanders began to intervene, and the robbers decided to give up. They escaped in an SUV that was waiting nearby with a third person.
Around 4:45 a.m., a man was carjacked at a service station in the 3000 block of North Kedzie in Avondale. Two men who arrived in an SUV put a gun to the victim’s head and drove away with his silver Audi A7, according to a CPD report. The
Around the same time, another man was robbed near Grand and Racine in West Town. Four men traveling in a gray Audi Q5 threatened him with a gun, a CPD report said.
Police said a 60-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint in the first block of South Jefferson around 4:55 a.m. He was walking when three men displayed guns, took his property, and fled in a silver Audi SUV, said a police spokesperson.
A woman was robbed near the Kinzie Street bridge just a few minutes later. She reported that four men wearing hoodies and gloves got out of a gray car and two pointed guns at her. They took her backpack, forced her to give up her phone PIN and passwords, and drove away, according to a police report.
Another woman was robbed around 5:15 a.m. in the 1900 block of West Division. Three men pointed guns at her head, took her property, and then escaped in an Audi SUV, a report said.
Chicago police officers located the robbers by following pings from one of the victims’ phones, but they terminated their pursuit of the crew near the 3200 block of North Sacramento around 6 a.m.
On Friday night, more robberies were reported. All followed the same pattern: an SUV pulled up, and two or three masked men got out to rob people on the street.
A woman was targeted in the 600 block of North May around 10:20 p.m.; a man was targeted in the 900 block of North Hoyne about 10 minutes later; and another man was robbed around 10:40 p.m. in the 3300 block of West Cortland around 10:40 p.m.
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