9 robbed at gunpoint in Chicago, including off-duty CPD officer
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An off-duty Chicago Police officer was robbed at gunpoint late Monday on the city's Northwest Side – in one of at least six armed robberies with a total of nine victims overnight.
As CBS 2's Mugo Odigwe reported, the robbery happened in the 3200 block of North LeClaire Avenue, at Melrose Street in Portage Park, around 10:20 p.m. Monday.
A police badge was on the ground beside an evidence marker. Police say the officer complied and gave the armed robbers his personal belongings.
According to police, the off-duty officer was getting out of his car when a black Nissan pulled up beside him. Four men with handguns and a rifle got out. They stole his personal belongings before getting back in their car and driving away.
When we asked police if the officer's service weapon was stolen, they would only say, "Personal property was taken."
Five other robberies would then follow overnight between 9:30 p.m. Monday and just after midnight Tuesday. The last one happened around 12:09 a.m. on the city's South Side.
Police say it involved three male armed robbers who were also in a black Nissan. They stole from a 52-year-old man in the 8000 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue in Chatham before driving away.
The other four robberies happened at the following times and locations:
- At 9:36 p.m., in the 700 block of West 15th Street on the Near West Side: Two men approached and robbed by two armed offenders driving a blue Honda sedan.
- At 9:55 p.m., in the 1400 block of West Lexington Street on the Near West Side: Three women were robbed at gunpoint by a male offender who fled the scene in a blue sedan.
- At 10:55 p.m., in the 3800 block of South Wallace Street in Bridgeport: A man, 50, was approached by a black sedan and robbed by two armed males.
- At 11:30 p.m., in the 2300 block of West 83rd Street going through the Dan Ryan Woods – A man approached and robbed by four armed males while driving west on 83rd Street.
While the descriptions of the robbery incidents are similar, police late Tuesday were saying whether the same crew is believed to be behind them.
No one was hurt in any of the incidents.
As CBS 2's Tara Molina reported, we have been tracking an increase in armed robbery sprees for years now. A closer look at the numbers shows robberies at a high for robberies in Chicago that we haven't seen since 2017.
There have been 9,660 robberies reported so far this year.
Chicago Police weren't available to talk to us about how they're tackling these crimes. They also did not address the crime numbers.
Police did say they are investigating all these robberies – and no one was in custody late Tuesday.