Chicago police are investigating separate, unrelated robberies that occurred Wednesday at two of the city’s most famous landmarks: Navy Pier and Buckingham Fountain.
In the first incident, a 22-year-old man who offered a laptop for sale online arranged to meet a prospective buyer at Navy Pier, a site he selected because he wanted to complete the transaction in a safe, public place. He was half right.
Police said the man was outside when the prospective buyer arrived with three other men in a white car, possibly a Chevy Malibu, around 3:15 p.m. The men ordered the victim to get in their vehicle, but he refused, according to CPD.
At that point, the man who was supposed to purchase the laptop got out of the car, put a gun to his back, and took the computer. He then returned to the car, and all four men drove away, heading west from Navy Pier.
Later, around 11:05 p.m., a pedicab driver was punched in the face and robbed at Buckingham Fountain.
Police said the 58-year-old man was parked in his cab when two men and two women walked up and requested a ride. For some reason, an argument began, and one of the offenders hit the pedicab driver in the face and took his property, a CPD spokesperson said. The foursome fled in a white vehicle.
According to the spokesperson, no one is in custody for either robbery as of Thursday morning.