CHICAGO — A ride-share driver was robbed at gunpoint and forced to unlock her phone as she waited for a passenger in Lincoln Park on Friday morning.Chicago police said the 44-year-old was inside her car in the 2000 block of West Diversey when a black SUV, possibly a Jeep, pulled up around 4:05 a.m.Four men got out of the Jeep; one displayed a gun and demanded her property, while the others pounded on her vehicle, a police spokesperson said. The woman surrendered her valuables, and the crew returned to the SUV and drove away. She was not injured.Police did not release descriptions of the suspects.
The crime is strikingly similar to a series of armed robberies that have targeted ride-share drivers on the West Side over the past month. Chicago police have warned Uber and Lyft drivers about the crime pattern, saying drivers have been targeted as they dropped off or picked up passengers.
During the robberies, one robber opened the victims’ driver’s door and ordered them to surrender their phones and wallets. They then forced each victim to reveal their phone PIN. Many of the West Side victims have also been pistol-whipped, according to CPD.
In addition to those robberies, three ride-share drivers have been shot on the West Side since December 3. Two of them, possibly targeted by armed robbers, died. The one who survived was shot during a carjacking attempt on Wednesday night.
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