Two women were robbed at gunpoint in separate Lincoln Park attacks Sunday afternoon, and Chicago police say the holdups are connected to a robbery reported in the neighborhood earlier this week. Neither woman was physically injured, but both were threatened with firearms and had jewelry taken as they walked along neighborhood streets.
The first robbery happened around 3:33 p.m. in the 2200 block of North Halsted Street, according to a CPD community alert. A witness reported seeing a man point a gun at a woman, who handed over her valuables before dumping her belongings and running away to get help.
About 12 minutes later, another woman was targeted as she walked in the 1800 block of North Larrabee Street. The robber took two engagement rings and two necklaces valued at more than $5,000, police said. The woman ran to a nearby fire station for help. Police later recovered the woman’s phone at Oz Park, a few blocks away. Investigators believe the robbers dumped it there.
CPD said Sunday’s robberies are connected to a holdup reported Thursday, September 17, in the 300 block of West Webster Avenue. The victim, who works at a residential building, was on a break around 2:15 p.m. when a robber approached her and put a gun to her face, according to a witness. The woman handed over her valuables before running into a nearby school to get help. The robber fled west through an alley while wearing a mask, police said.
An officer who spoke with witnesses on Sunday said two men were involved in the robberies and that they appeared to use a vehicle to get around. Both men wore masks, but one appeared to have facial tattoos.
CPD described one suspect as a heavyset Black man, approximately 5-foot-10 to 5-foot-11, wearing a gray ski mask, black T-shirt and black pants. The second was described as a Black man with a medium build who was wearing a black mask and dark hooded sweatshirt.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Area 3 detectives at 312-744-8263 or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com using reference number P26-3-030.
