Chicago police have arrested two more juveniles in connection with a mob attack and robbery linked to a group that Ald. Scott Waguespack has called the “Lakeview Goons,” bringing the total number of juveniles charged in the case to seven. The 16-year-old boys, whom a source identified as twin brothers, surrendered Tuesday at Area Three Police Headquarters at Belmont and Western.
At about 8:45 p.m. on April 4, a 19-year-old man walking home from his job at a Roscoe Village pizzeria was surrounded, beaten, and robbed by a group of high school-age boys in the 3500 block of North Hoyne Avenue. He was nearly home when the group approached him. Although he tried to defend himself, the boys allegedly took his cash, phone, and keys. Waguespack called it a “brutal attack.”
Chicago police said the assault involved “at least” 10 assailants and was captured on multiple surveillance cameras. Waguespack said the robbery was the “main topic” of a recent community policing meeting and that the group may also be connected to other similar incidents reported in the area over the last couple of years.
The two boys arrested Tuesday are each charged with robbery and aggravated battery in a public place. All seven of the accused are either 15 or 16 years old.
Investigators received “hundreds” of tips because so many of the suspects’ peers and classmates recognized them in the surveillance footage. Given the reputations some of the suspects have at school, their classmates were “eager to exercise their civic responsibilities” by assisting with their identification, the source said.
With all of the known suspects now charged, the investigation is likely winding down unless new information surfaces. Anyone with helpful details is encouraged to contact the Chicago Police Department’s tip line. The case number is JK206078.
Because all of the accused are juveniles, the public cannot attend their court hearings, Waguespack said.
