A crew of armed robbers that Chicago police have linked to at least two other holdups this month surrounded a man near the Magnificent Mile on Monday afternoon, taking his valuables and a bag containing firearms before fleeing in a luxury SUV.
The robbery happened around 4:40 p.m. in the 100 block of East Chestnut Street. Police say a 64-year-old man had just stepped out of his vehicle when a black SUV, possibly a Maserati, rolled up with four males inside. Three of them got out, displayed rifles and handguns, and stripped the man of his wallet, a high-end watch, and the bag with the firearms, according to a preliminary report.
The robbers then turned their weapons on two bystanders, a 58-year-old woman and a 47-year-old man, but left without taking anything from them, a police spokesperson said.
The victims flagged down a passing CPD unit to report the crime. Camera footage captured the plateless SUV turning north on Rush Street before circling back to Chicago Avenue and heading south on Lake Shore Drive.
The robbers were described as Black males between 16 and 35 years old, dressed in all-black clothing and standing about 5-foot-7. Two wore white face masks and one wore a red face mask.
Area 3 detectives have tied the crew to two additional robberies in the area this month. In those cases, victims were robbed at gunpoint with handguns and rifles, losing high-end property including watches, jewelry, purses, clothing, and wallets, police said. In at least one instance, the offenders deliberately rear-ended a victim’s vehicle as a ruse to get close to them.
The earlier robberies occurred in the 300 block of East Chicago Avenue at 5:25 a.m. on Sunday, March 8, and in the first block of West Walton Street at 4:00 a.m. this past Sunday, March 15.
Area 3 detectives are handling the investigation.
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