Chicago police warns of 14 armed robberies on West, Northwest Sides
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago police issued an alert about 14 armed robberies on the city's West and Northwest Sides.
The first robbery happened Thursday in Avondale. The other 13 robberies happened over several hours Saturday in Avondale, Austin, Logan Square, and Portage Park.
Police say four to five men jumped out of a vehicle and pointed guns at victims saying, "This is a robbery, give me everything you got."
Some of the victims were workers waiting for their carpool, police said.
The robbers were armed with black handguns, rifles, and knives, according to police.
In one incident, the men fired a gun in a victim's direction, hitting her in the neck and shoulder.
Incident times and locations:
March 14
- 2600 block of West Fletcher Avenue at 7:41 p.m.
March 16
- 1600 block of North Linder Avenue at 6:05 a.m.
- 1700 block of North Lotus Avenue at 6:10 a.m.
- 4200 block of West Armitage Avenue at 6:15 a.m.
- 2300 block of North Springfield Avenue at 10:00 a.m.
- 2800 block of North Harding Avenue at 10:20 a.m.
- 2300 block of North Lawndale Avenue at 10:33 a.m.
- 2000 block of North Campbell Avenue 11:50 a.m.
- 2600 block of North Mozart Street at 12:03 p.m.
- 3000 block of North Spaulding Avenue at 12:07 p.m.
- 4800 block of West Hutchison Avenue at 1:14 p.m.
- 2900 block of North Ridgeway Avenue 1:30 p.m.
- 3700 block of West George Street at 1:30 p.m.
- 2700 block of North Lawndale Avenue at 1:40 p.m.
The offenders were described as Black men between 18 to 30 years of age, between 5-fee-10 and 6 feet tall, weighing between 150 to 180 pounds, with a slim build. They were last seen wearing black ski masks, black joggers, black jeans, black hoodies, and black ski masks.
What you can do:
- Be aware of your surroundings and unfamiliar or suspicious people in your area.
- Walk with groups of individuals and do not carry large sums of money.
- Do not try to rationalize or confront offenders, it could lead to possible injury.
- Park in well-lit areas and in areas where there is pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
- Notify neighbors of this crime pattern. If you see something suspicious, alert.
- Call 911 immediately if you are a victim or witness to a crime and provide a detailed description of the offender(s) and involved vehicles.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Bureau of Detectives – Area 5 at 312-746-7394.