CHICAGO — Anyone looking to buy a motorcycle through an online marketplace would be well advised to turn down any offers to complete a deal in one corner of the Oakland neighborhood, according to Chicago police. That’s because three people have been robbed at gunpoint after showing up to make deals in the 4000 block of South Oakenwald and the intersecting 1000 block of East 40th Place.
CPD said victims arriving with cash to buy a motorcycle advertised online are directed to a nearby alley. When they get there, a gunman takes their money.
Robberies occurred on Oakenwald at 6:45 p.m. on October 4 and 3:30 p.m. on November 10, police said. On Tuesday, November 26, around 4 p.m., someone robbed another victim around the corner on 40th Place.
Police described two suspects, one who directs victims to the alley and another who carries out the holdup. They are both Black, between 5’8″ and 5’10” tall, and wear dark clothing, according to CPD.
Tips can be shared with police by calling 312-747-8380 about crime pattern #P24-1-183A.
Similar crime patterns have been reported from time to time in other neighborhoods.
In September, investigators used a CPD SWAT team’s drone to monitor a section of East Garfield Park where several people had been robbed during Facebook Marketplace meet-ups.
Their efforts paid off with the arrests of two suburban men who were allegedly caught in the act. Prosecutors said one of the men had been involved in five similar robberies in the area during June and August.
