CHICAGO — An 18-year-old man who was found fatally stabbed in a West Side alley may have been part of a robbery crew that crossed paths with the wrong victim, according to multiple law enforcement sources.
The man was found dead of multiple stab wounds, lying in an alley behind the 300 block of North Lorel around 6 a.m. Saturday. A witness told police they saw the man’s body get tossed out of a black SUV that fled the scene.
Now, investigators believe that the SUV is a Dodge Durango that a robbery crew took at gunpoint about two hours before the man’s body was found. They also believe the dead man was part of the robbery crew when it made a poor targeting decision about 15 minutes before he was found.
It happened in the 4300 block of West Cullerton. Four men exited a black Dodge Durango, and one of them, armed with a handgun, demanded property from a 48-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman, according to a Chicago police report.
The gunman pistol-whipped the man and fired one round that missed. After that, the man fought back, stabbing the gunman with a knife or other weapon and successfully wrestling away his firearm, according to police.
“Give us back our gun!” one of the robbers begged, according to a source.
The victim declined, and all of the robbers sped away in the Dodge Durango. Minutes later, the 18-year-old was dumped from a Dodge Durango more than a mile away.
Chicago police issued a community alert about the robbery spree that detectives linked to the crew, a robbery spree that came to a screeching halt after they tried to rob the couple on Cullerton.
Before that fateful encounter, the crew is suspected of:
- Taking the Durango at gunpoint from a victim in the 5800 block of West North Avenue around 4:15 a.m.
- Robbing a man in the 4700 block of West Barry around 5:22 a.m. The victim had no money, so the crew took a bag he was carrying, which contained an ultrasound machine he used for work.
- Robbing and pistol-whipping a man in the 4800 block of West Shakespeare at about 5:25 a.m. The victim threw hot coffee on one of the robbers, according to a source. Perhaps that should have served as a warning.
- Robbed a victim of their wallet and keys in the 4800 block of West Barry around 5:41 a.m.
All of the crimes were committed by two, three, or four Black males wearing black clothing and black masks, according to CPD reports.
No arrests have been announced.
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