At least 11 robbed in 2-hour crime spree from Bucktown to Pilsen

CHICAGO — At least eleven people were robbed during a two-hour armed robbery spree that stretched from Bucktown to Pilsen on Wednesday evening, according to Chicago police reports provided to CWBChicago. Another robbery was reported in the West Loop overnight.

The holdups began around 9:15 p.m. in Wicker Park, with a woman being targeted near the intersection of Beach and Paulina. Another woman was robbed at Armitage and Leavitt around the same time.

Both robberies involved four armed men traveling in a gray or silver SUV, possibly a Kia, who jumped out to rob the victims on the street.

Similar robberies quickly followed. By 10 p.m., police had responded to holdups in the 1400 block of North Oakley, the 800 block of North Milwaukee, the 600 block of North Noble, the 600 block of North Elizabeth, near Grand and Ogden, at the corner of Evergreen and Schiller just outside the gates to Wicker Park.

The robbers were generally described as Black males in their mid-to-late teens who work ski masks or surgical masks and dark clothing. They were armed with multiple handguns. Some victims said the ski masks appeared to be novelty-style with furry designs.

Chicago police officers caught a glimpse of the getaway car, which had no license plates, near 18th Street and Ashland just after 10 p.m. But the cops lost sight of the vehicle.

Not coincidentally, robberies were soon reported in the 1300 block of West 18th Street, the 2200 block of West 19th Street, and the 2600 block of West Evergreen.

Some of the later robberies may have involved a red SUV. It is unclear if that car was a second robbery crew or if the group involved in the earlier crimes switched cars.

At about 10:20 p.m., officers again spotted the robbers in traffic. The cops engaged the car in a pursuit, but the vehicle slipped onto the Eisenhower Expressway and escaped.

Shortly after 2 a.m., a man reported being robbed in the 100 block of North Green in the West Loop. He said two masked men, one armed with a pistol and the other with a larger gun, got out of an SUV to rob him of his phone and wallet.

No arrests have been announced in connection with any of the crimes.

Robbery sprees have been popping up several times a week, with West Town, Humboldt Park, and Logan Square being particularly hard-hit. Our reporting has been exhaustive (and exhausting), but here are some recent stories: