Daytime robbery sprees break out on Thursday; no arrests

*The approximate locations of Thursday’s daytime robberies. | Multiplottr*

CHICAGO — Apparently bored with committing nighttime robbery sprees, a few carloads of armed men decided to pull off a bunch of daytime robberies on Thursday, mostly in the areas that have been slammed by similar crimes for weeks on end.

And, once again, Chicago police made no arrests despite a local alderman’s promise last month that a comprehensive plan was in place to fight the relentless crime surge.

About three hours after an overnight robbery spree ended, two more holdups were reported, one in Humboldt Park and the other in West Town.

At about 5:40 a.m., armed men exited a large white SUV to confront a man near Damen and Fulton. They hit him in the head three times with a firearm, forced him to surrender his Chase Bank passcode, and fled with his wallet, phone, and backpack, a police report said.

Shortly after 6 a.m., a bicyclist told police that a white SUV almost struck him as he rode in the 2600 block of West Augusta. Four men got out of the vehicle, and one pulled a gun, demanding the 40-year-old’s valuables, a Chicago police spokesperson said.

Then, starting around 12:20 p.m., at least seven more armed robberies were reported in about two hours.

First, three men exited a small white car to rob two people in the 1900 block of West Race. The robbers were described as three young Black males wearing black ski masks and dark clothing.

A similarly described group soon committed another robbery in the 2100 block of North Western.

Around 12:30 p.m., a small white car pulled onto the 1600 block of North Oakley in Bucktown. A witness saw three men get out and rob a construction worker, but he chose not to file a report when Chicago police arrived.

Another man was robbed around 12:40 by four men who exited a white sedan in the 2600 block of North Fairfield.

About 15 minutes later, two people were robbed in the 4000 block of West School by six armed men who arrived in a white car and a heavily damaged gray SUV, according to a CPD report.

At about 2 p.m., the same two cars pulled onto the 2100 block of North Kedzie at Palmer Court. A group of men got out of the vehicles and robbed a man as he was putting his son into their car, a police report said. They got away with his wallet, iPad, Nintendo Switch, and iPhone.

The last robbery was reported in the 2900 block of West Carroll a short time later.

Last month, Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) assured residents that Chicago police had a “concrete and collaborative plan” to address the ongoing robbery problem, even as police say just one of the roving bands of criminals may be responsible for more than 60 holdups.

Yet, from late Wednesday into early Thursday, at least 13 people, including a federal agent, were targeted by armed robbery crews.

While the robbery sprees have been happening for months, here is some of our more recent coverage:

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