Police are eyeing the possibility that a robbery crew is back prowling a part of Chicago that withered under months of relentless, nearly nightly armed robbery sprees a couple of years ago.
The concern comes after a string of robberies and attempted robberies Thursday and Friday mornings that followed some of the same patterns that became all too familiar during the city’s previous nightmare: groups of masked men, stolen or getaway vehicles, guns and victims targeted while on the street or withdrawing cash from ATMs.
The surge from 2022 into 2024 involved carloads of armed, masked robbers, usually teenage males, who cruised through neighborhoods in stolen cars before jumping out to rob people at gunpoint. When they spotted someone making a withdrawal at an ATM, they would swoop in, take the cash and sometimes force the victim to make additional withdrawals. Now, a new string of robberies has detectives watching for signs that at least one team may be attempting a comeback.
First, around 6 a.m. Thursday, a woman was targeted in a robbery attempt near Polk and Wolcott streets. She reported to UIC police that three men wearing black face masks approached her. A witness yelled for her to get away, and she got away, leaving the would-be robbers to drive off empty-handed in a white, four-door sedan.
About 45 minutes later, a woman reported being robbed at gunpoint as she walked her dog near Taylor and Lytle streets in University Village. She told police a man approached her, displayed a gun and took three rings, including her wedding band. The robber was described as a Black male, about 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, wearing a hoodie and black mask.
Then, around 8 a.m., a group of robbers poured out of a white SUV and targeted another victim in the 1100 block of North Keystone Avenue in Humboldt Park. As many as seven robbers were involved, the victim reported, with about four appearing to be armed while the others patted him down. The robbers took his phone, keys, and cash.
Roughly 15 minutes later, at least two armed men carjacked a man in the 4500 block of West Fulton Street in West Garfield Park. The crew displayed guns, took his gray Toyota Highlander, and then sped away, followed by a second vehicle. Police later recovered the Highlander in the 4100 block of West Jackson Boulevard, according to a CPD report. Officers were told to watch for two Black males wearing black masks. One was wearing a pink hoodie, black sweatpants, and black shoes. The other was wearing a black hoodie, black pants and black shoes.
Another robbery occurred early Friday morning. Around 4:30 a.m., three men jumped out of a white, four-door sedan and robbed a man as he withdrew money from an ATM near Cermak Road and Damen Avenue in the Lower West Side The robbers were described as Black males wearing all-black clothing.
CPD has not publicly linked any of the crimes to the same group. But the sudden cluster of incidents has raised concerns that detectives could be looking at a new spree-style robbery crew.
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