Chicago detectives have connected the armed takeover robbery of a 24-hour Near North Side diner early Thursday to a roving holdup crew they believe has struck at least five times in six days, leaving a trail of frightened restaurant workers, a pistol-whipped customer, and a carjacked rideshare driver in their wake.
CPD issued a community alert linking the group to a series of crimes that began in the early morning hours of Sunday, April 19, with a holdup in the 3800 block of West Harrison Street in Garfield Park. No additional details about that incident were made available.
But the night was far from over. Sometime between 2:30 and 2:45 a.m., a Lyft driver picked up three men after receiving a ride request in the 2300 block of West Fulton Street. When the car reached the 2100 block of West Walnut Street, at least one of the passengers displayed a gun and announced a robbery. The men took the driver’s phone and wallet, forced him out of the Nissan, and drove off with it. CPD license plate readers tracked the stolen vehicle onto the outbound Kennedy Expressway.
About an hour later, around 3:40 a.m., the same stolen car turned up in Bucktown. Two men walked into Arturo’s Tacos at 2001 North Western Avenue and announced a robbery, one brandishing a rifle and the other a handgun, according to a preliminary police report. CPD’s alert said the pair got “spooked” and abandoned the attempt before taking anything, then returned to the stolen Nissan and fled.
The crew went quiet for several days before resurfacing in force early Thursday morning.
At 3:13 a.m. on April 23, three men walked into Griddle 24 at 334 West Chicago Avenue, displayed handguns and a rifle, and announced a robbery. They moved through the diner robbing patrons and employees of money, phones, and other belongings. A 56-year-old man, a 63-year-old man, a 64-year-old man, and a woman whose age was not immediately available were among the victims, police said.
During the robbery, one of the gunmen struck a 23-year-old man in the back of the head with a firearm. He was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and was listed in good condition. No other injuries were reported.
Eight minutes later, at 3:21 a.m., three masked men walked into the 7-Eleven at 2366 North Damen Avenue in Logan Square and displayed two pistols and a compact rifle. They demanded money, cleaned out two registers, and grabbed cigarettes from behind the counter before fleeing in what investigators believe was the same stolen Infiniti sedan that sped away from Griddle 24 minutes earlier.
CPD described the robbery crew as Black men between 18 and 30 years old, all wearing black or gray sweat outfits and ski masks.
Anyone with information about any of the crimes can contact detectives at 312-744-8263, 312-746-8253, or 312-746-7394. Anonymous tips can be submitted at CPDTIP.com using reference number 26-CWP-011.
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