CHICAGO — Two armed robbers who went on a cross-city crime spree yesterday are in custody after a passerby called 911 upon seeing two men wearing ski masks walk into a Walgreens in Andersonville.
The men started by carjacking the driver of a 2024 Audi Q5 in the 6000 block of South Peoria, according to a law enforcement source.
Chicago police officers soon saw three men wearing ski masks zipping eastbound on Marquette Road in the Audi around 5 p.m., but the cops quickly terminated their pursuit.
But being briefly chased by police didn’t dissuade the men from committing more crimes. About 30 minutes later, they jumped out of the Audi to commit a robbery at Wings and Rings, 3434 South Halsted.
Then they headed up Lake Shore Drive to the North Side.
At about 6:35 p.m., a customer walked into Morse Fresh Market, 1442 West Morse, as they were robbing the store. The witness called 911, but the crew got away with cash and tobacco products before police arrived.
They weren’t so lucky in Andersonville, though.
Shortly before 7 p.m., a 911 caller reported that two masked men had just walked into Walgreens, 5440 North Clark. Police said the men ordered a cashier to open the registers at gunpoint.
Chicago police units arrived on scene as the robbers were pulling out of a parking space on Clark Street, a CPD report said.
The getaway car crashed into a vehicle that was parked in front of the Audi, and both robbers bailed out, running from the scene. Cops caught both of them nearby and recovered one firearm from each man, according to a CPD media statement.
Charges are pending.