CHICAGO — An Uber driver was carjacked, a bicyclist was beaten and robbed, and a third victim was chased down the street by armed robbers during a string of overnight crimes on the Near West Side, according to Chicago police reports.
The 34-year-old Uber driver was parked in the 2300 block of West Thomas, helping his passenger remove things from the trunk when a dark car pulled up around 2:48 a.m.
Police said a man stepped out of the car, demanded control of the Uber driver’s Nissan Rogue, and drove away. The vehicle he arrived in followed him out of the area, a CPD spokesperson said.
Cops recovered the hijacked SUV about two hours later near Hoyne and Walton, but the police spokesperson said no arrests had been made.
The suspects were described as Black males between 15 and 18 years old wearing dark clothing and masks.
About ten minutes before the carjacking, a bicyclist was attacked in the 1400 block of North Rockwell.
He was riding along when a group of robbers exited a dark-colored car and demanded his property, according to the police spokesperson. The crew physically attacked the 39-year-old and took his property before returning to the car and driving away.
An officer who responded to the call radioed a description of the suspects: four or five Black males between 18 and 20 years old, some of whom wore white hoodies.
Chicago Fire Department personnel treated the victim for minor injuries at the scene.
Most recently, a man reported to police that around 3:50 a.m., a group of robbers tried to mug him near the 3400 block of West Altgeld.
The victim ran from the offenders, found a hiding place, and called 911.
A CPD surveillance officer reported that a police surveillance camera captured footage of the robbers chasing the man and escaping in a Hyundai or Toyota SUV.