CHICAGO — Armed robbers swept across Lakeview and Uptown on Monday night, robbing three men in about an hour, according to Chicago police.
They began in Boystown on Roscoe Street, just east of the Halsted Street bar district, around 10:30 p.m. A 25-year-old man told police he was walking on the sidewalk when three men got out of a black SUV with guns.
They pushed him, took his phone and wallet, and forced him to reveal the phone’s PIN.
About 30 minutes later, three men got out of a black SUV with guns to rob a 51-year-old man in the 900 block of West Lakeside in Uptown. They battered the man, took his phone and groceries, and fled.
Finally, around 11:36 p.m., a 24-year-old man was mugged as he walked in the 1500 block of West Berteau. Once again, three men exited a black SUV, took his phone and wallet at gunpoint, and fled.
The robbers in all three crimes were described as Black men in their late teens or early 20s wearing ski masks and dark clothing.
Robbery reports across Chicago are up 24% from last year and up 30% from 2019, according to CPD’s latest statistics report.
Many robberies involve more than one victim, and the city’s data shows the number of people who’ve been robbed this year is up even more. As of Saturday, the city had 7,544 robbery victims this year, up from 5,206 at this point last year and 5,739 in 2019.