15 daytime armed robberies reported in about 4 hours Tuesday

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

CHICAGO — Fifteen robberies in four hours? During the middle of the day? Yep. That’s what happened today. And why not? It’s Chicago, and nobody in a position of authority or responsibility seems inclined to do much about it.

Police did track down a car that was used in most, if not all, of Tuesday’s robberies. One person was taken in for questioning. But at least one other car and three more robbers are still out there.

The robberies came in two waves, with the first starting around 11:15 p.m. outside a bank in the 4500 block of West North Avenue.

In a scenario that would unfold more than a dozen more times within a few hours, men jumped out of a car to rob the victim at gunpoint. They escaped in a Kia that was recently stolen from the 1500 block of West Haddon in Noble Square, according to a Chicago police report we reviewed today.

A second car, a blue or black sedan, also stolen, carried another group of robbers around the area. Sometimes, the vehicles traveled together, according to a law enforcement source.

Between 11:30 and about noontime, robberies involving the silver SUV were reported in the 1800 block of North Kildare, the 2500 block of North Maplewood, the 2500 block of West Homer, the 2500 block of North St. Louis, and near Talman and Maypole.

Among other robberies reported during the first spree:

At about 11:45 a.m., the black sedan pulled onto the 1500 block of North Maplewood. The driver threatened a man with a gun and asked for money. When the victim didn’t have any cash, the robber took his toolbag, according to a CPD report.
About five minutes later, the silver car pulled onto the 2500 block of North Campbell. A man they tried to rob on the block had nothing of value, so they pistol-whipped him, drove about a half block, and pulled off a successful robbery in the 2400 block of West Huron.

After a short break, the robberies resumed around 2:10 p.m. Holdups were reported in the 900 block of North Hoyne, the 2100 block of North Damen, at Oakley and Milwaukee, the 1700 block of North Francisco, and near Wabansia and Central Park.

The most recent robbery occurred in the 1200 block of North Honore when four men all displayed guns and tried to take an Amazon delivery vehicle.

A carjacking task force located the stolen silver car in the 3400 block of West Carroll around 5 p.m. and took one suspect into custody. Whether he will be charged with anything remains to be seen.

In nearly all of the robberies, victims described the robbers as young Black males, likely in their late teens or early 20s, wearing masks and displaying multiple firearms.

Robbery sprees have been popping up on an almost daily basis for months. Our reporting has been exhaustive (and exhausting), but here are some recent stories: