Bucktown, Logan Square slammed with more robberies overnight

*The approximate locations of last night’s robberies. | Multiplottr*

CHICAGO — Logan Square and Bucktown were hit with another wave of armed robberies last night, Chicago police said. The holdups followed another robbery spree on Tuesday morning that we’ve been told ended with a 14-year-old boy in custody.

Last night’s robberies followed the same script that has played out hundreds and hundreds of times this year: two or three masked men dressed in dark clothing jumped out of a stolen car to rob people at gunpoint on the street.

The crew used a black Jeep Cherokee stolen earlier in the day from Garfield Park in last night’s crime spree.

Robbery reports began shortly after 11 p.m. in the 3000 block of North Karlov, followed quickly by the 3100 block of North Hamlin. Three robbers carried out those crimes.

Within minutes, more robberies unfolded, all involving a black SUV and two or three gunmen:

At 11:09 p.m., a 46-year-old man was robbed of his wallet in the 1900 block of North Whipple.
In the 500 block of North Wood, two men took a 28-year-old woman’s purse at gunpoint around 11:29 p.m., a CPD media statement said.
At about 11:30 p.m., two gunmen jumped out of a black SUV and tried to rob a 50-year-old man in the 1900 block of North Oakley. Police said the victim ran away before losing anything to the robbers.

Most recently, a 51-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint in the 2000 block of West McClean. That happened around 1:23 a.m., according to CPD. The robbers, once again traveling in a black SUV, took the victim’s phone and wallet.

Earlier robberies

A 14-year-old is believed to be in custody after another armed robbery spree rolled across Logan Square and West Town on Tuesday morning, beginning shortly before 10 a.m. outside PNC Bank, 2300 North Western.

Two armed men exited a black SUV to rob a woman of cash and her purse, according to a Chicago police report. She was a customer of the bank, one of the latest to be targeted outside of banks and ATMs in the area.

A few minutes later, three men in a dark SUV cut off a 66-year-old man as he walked in the 2300 block of North Maplewood. They emerged from the vehicle with guns, took his property, and then sped away. The holdup was caught on video:

Another robbery occurred outside a different PNC bank around 10 a.m. This one happened at the 3820 West Belmont location. Two masked, armed men in a black SUV put a gun to a man’s head and took his cash.

About 20 minutes later, a man was robbed outside his workplace in the 200 block of North Maplewood in West Town. Again, armed men traveling in a black SUV were responsible.

A source familiar with the situation said Chicago police officers detained a 14-year-old boy in connection with the robbery on Maplewood shortly before noon near Douglas and Christina. That’s not far from the 1500 and 1600 blocks of South Drake, long considered ground zero for the city’s many prolific robbery crews.

Officially, however, a Chicago police spokesperson could not confirm that anyone was in custody for the crime.

Earlier robberies

Recent robbery spree coverage