CHICAGO — A 20-year-old man who was a credentialed social media influencer at the Democratic National Convention was robbed by the same gunmen who robbed a convention delegate from Texas last week.
Like the man from Texas who was robbed outside his Loop hotel, the influencer and his friend were targeted outside their hotel in the West Loop. Chicago police linked the crimes to the same robbery team in a community alert.
The influencer, who has more than 3 million followers on TikTok alone, verified his claim by providing a video of the robbers speeding away from the scene, documentation of a conversation with hotel management, and a copy of the paperwork provided to him by the Chicago Police Department.
He and his friend walked back to the Emily Hotel, 311 North Morgan, after attending the DNC last Monday, August 17. They arrived at the front door shortly before 1 a.m.
“It would not open,” he said of the door. “It was stuck. Then we heard a scream and seconds later a man wearing all black with a black ski mask jumped out of a black SUV Land Rover, approached us with a gun in hand as we are trying to open the door and screaming, ‘It won’t open!'”
“Then he pointed the gun at my head and said, ‘Give me everything,'” he continued. The robber “took my wallet first and took my friend’s phone next and then took my phone and asked, ‘What is the password?’ then ran away as he is typing in the password and got into the vehicle and drove away.”
Another influencer, who was staying in the hotel, recorded a short clip of the robbers returning to the SUV and driving away:
When they finally got inside the hotel, staff members were already calling 911, he said. Moments later, another couple ran in to report they had also been robbed and struck in the face with a weapon.
The influencer said he later remembered having an AirTag in his wallet. It was still tracking, so he called the police again and gave them its location. He has not heard back from CPD.
“The next day I contacted Chicago 12th district police and they refused to give me an update because cases like this ‘take time’… and every time I call my detective is never in the office.”
He said the hotel comped one night of his stay, which was already being paid for by the organization that hired him, but they did offer him a free dinner.
In a statement, a hotel spokesperson said, “The safety and well-being of our guests is of the utmost importance. We have been in communications with the impacted guests and are working with the CPD and authorities to support their active investigation.”
The following day, around 2:04 a.m. on Wednesday, August 21, the Texas delegate, his friend, and a third person were robbed by the same offenders in the 100 block of West Randolph, outside The Allegro Royal Sonesta Hotel.
Police located the suspected getaway car, a black Range Rover, in West Garfield Park using location data from one of the Loop victims’ phones. The abandoned vehicle bore a stolen license plate.
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