CHICAGO — As street robberies continue to plague many parts of Chicago, the latest victims include an off-duty police officer who was targeted in River North, a woman carjacked in Lincoln Park, and a construction crew robbed at gunpoint in Logan Square.
In River North, the off-duty officer was with a friend, leaving a nightclub in the 200 block of West Ontario, when three armed men confronted them around 2 a.m. Saturday, according to a law enforcement source. The robbers took the victims’ property, then fled the scene in a Nissan Altima.
The cop, who we’re told is not a Chicago police officer, got into his car and followed the pings from his stolen phone, which was found in the 1700 block of North Western Avenue in Logan Square.
Two incidents were reported in Lincoln Park around 9:10 p.m.
In the 1300 block of West Belden, a 23-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man were sitting in a car when two gunmen walked up and ordered them out around 9:10 p.m., according to a Chicago police spokesperson.
The hijackers drove away with the couple’s gray Mazda SUV. Police recovered the vehicle a short time later near the 2100 block of South Trumbull, the spokesperson said.
Both carjackers were described as Black males wearing ski masks and all black clothing. They both had guns.
Within moments of the carjacking, another woman reported that three or four men pulled a gun on her near Fullerton and Racine. The woman got away without losing anything to the crew. Police initially categorized the incident as an aggravated assault with a firearm.
Later Friday, two armed men robbed Tip Top Liquor, 2700 West North Avenue, in Logan Square. The incident is particularly worrisome because a liquor store employee was shot by a group of men who robbed five people at Bucktown Food & Liquor on Thursday night.
The Tip Top Liquor robbers were described as two Black men wearing ski masks and black pants. They were last seen heading north on Washtenaw around 11:55 p.m.
Perhaps coincidentally, a group of construction workers were robbed in the 1700 block of North Washtenaw around 2:40 p.m. Friday. A surveillance video shared with CWBChicago showed three masked gunmen robbing a construction crew on the sidewalk. The offenders, at least one armed with a rifle, went through the workers’ pockets, taking phones, credit cards, and other items. They escaped in a small black car.
At around 2 p.m., a group of four armed men traveling in a small black car robbed two people at a bank ATM in the 3200 block of West Belmont, according to another CPD report.
Earlier in the day, four men armed with guns and at least one rifle got out of a white Audi and robbed a man in the 500 block of South Plymouth in the Loop. They were described as Black males in their late teens or early 20s wearing dark hoodies and masks.
Perhaps the most lucrative robbery of the week occurred Tuesday night in the South Loop. An armed robbery crew followed a man as he drove his Maserati to the 1500 block of South Prairie around 11:30 p.m. As the victim approached his building, they got out and put a gun to his head, battered him, robbed him, and drove away with his sports car, a police report said.
No arrests have been announced in any of the crimes.
Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) addressed the Bucktown Food & Liquor shooting in an email to his constituents on Friday afternoon:
I’m very sad to share that one of the employees at community staple Bucktown Food & Liquor was shot yesterday evening during a robbery. As a frequent customer, I went this afternoon to share my sympathy with the manager, who shared that the employee who was shot is recovering and that they are getting very positive engagement from area detectives. My team is committed to their staff and area detectives and I sincerely hope the perpetrators are brought to justice. As always, I will continue to work with our 14th District police on any actionable updates and support that my team and I can provide.