CHICAGO — A group of armed men robbed four people as the victims were exiting a car in River North early Sunday, Chicago police said. The crime appears to be similar to a string of robberies that Area Three detectives recently warned downtown residents about.
The victims, two 26-year-old women and men ages 28 and 35, were getting out of a vehicle in the 200 block of West Erie when another car pulled up behind them around 3:05 a.m., according to a CPD spokesperson.
Four men exited the second vehicle, pulled out guns, and announced a robbery. Police said one of the robbers pushed the older man to the ground. After getting the victim’s valuables, including one of the man’s shoes, the robbers drove away.
An AirTag inside one of the women’s purses pinged in the 2300 block of West Wilcox shortly after the robbery, but police did not locate any suspects when they searched the area.
CPD issued a community alert on Friday evening about four similar robberies that have been reported downtown this month.
The alert said between four and eight men had been working together to rob victims while displaying multiple firearms.
It linked four robberies to the group: in the 400 block of East Erie and the first block of West Hubbard on the morning of October 1, and in the 300 block of West Chestnut and the 300 block of West Locust on the morning of October 6.
Police said the robbery crew consisted of Black males between 20 and 25 years old who wore black hoodies and dark clothing.
Anyone with information about the group can contact Area Three detectives at 312-744-8263.
Carjackings reported
Cops are investigating several carjackings that have been reported recently:
- Three masked men carjacked a driver of his BMW at the intersection of Chicago and Ashland around 1:50 a.m. Sunday. The group exited a black Chevy Impala, threatened the driver with guns, and drove away with his car.
- At 6:40 a.m. Sunday, two armed men carjacked a woman at the Shell service station, 2801 North Ashland. The woman was on her way to work when the men took her cream-colored 2011 Infinity G37X at gunpoint, according to a CPD report. It described the hijackers as Black men between 20 and 25 years old who weighed 125 to 150 pounds. They wore ski masks and dark clothing.
- In the Loop, two armed men walked up behind a woman in the Target parking garage, 1154 South Clark, around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. They robbed her and drove away with her Black Volvo, a CPD report said. They were described as Black men between 17 and 25 years old who stood 6 feet to 6’5″ tall. One wore a surgical mask with a black jacket, and the other wore a mask with a gray hoodie pulled over his head, according to initial information from the scene.
Original reporting you’ll see nowhere else, paid for by our readers. Click here to support our work.
