Armed robbers hit 3 liquor stores in less than an hour on North, Near Northwest sides of Chicago
CHICAGO (CBS) -- "Give me everything – don't move or I'll shoot!" – that was the announcement from a crew of robbers who hit three liquor stores on the city's North and Near Northwest sides within a period of less than an hour Monday night, according to Chicago Police.
It is part of a violent trend that seems to be surging so far in 2024.
Police said four men in their 20s armed with revolvers and semi-automatic handguns shouted that same order in each of the robberies, before they took cash from the registers and safes inside the stores.
The robbery spree began around 8:45 p.m. Monday at Mr. P Beverage Depot, at 2006 W. Division St. in Wicker Park. Employee Pankajkumar Patel said he was still shaken late Tuesday.
"I have two children and a wife," Patel said.
Patel described the horror of what happened to him and another employee.
"Two persons jump the counter and give me the gun," he said. He said they put a gun to his temple as he put his hands up.
Patel said there were a total of four young men — two inside the store and two lookouts in the parking lot, who held him and his coworker at gunpoint. He said they punched his coworker in the face.
"His mouth took the punch," Patel said.
The robbers first took the contents of both registers.
"$3,000 to $4,000," Patel said.
But even after the robbers had been given everything in the register, they still wanted more, Patel said. They demanded more cash and took both employees' cell phones.
Patel would later learn his was the first of three liquor stores to be robbed at gunpoint.
Shortly after 9 p.m., the robbers held up Before You Go Liquors, at 1917 W. Fullerton Ave. in Bucktown. At 9:20 p.m., they robbed the Clybourn Market liquor store, at 2807 N. Clybourn Ave. in North Center.
All the robberies happened in less than 40 minutes. Again, police said the robbers opened with the same line every time – threatening to shoot.
In one of the robberies, a victim was walked to an ATM, and forced to take out cash at gunpoint. In two of the robberies – the one targeting Mr. P being one of them – the robbers punched an employee in the face before taking off.
The Monday night spree comes after a different spree this past Thursday night, starting in Irving Park, where five liquor stores were hit in a span of less than two hours. In at least two of the earlier cases, employees were also assaulted.
- The earlier spree started around 8:30 p.m. Thursday near Elston Avenue and Addison Street in Irving Park, where a liquor store clerk told police three men with handguns stole cash from the register and ran off.
- About half an hour later, two clerks at Golden Leaf Liquors, 3652 W. Irving Park Rd., also in Irving Park, told police three men with guns hit them before taking cash from the register and running off.
- At 9:30 p.m. Thursday, three gunmen robbed a liquor store in the 3300 block of West Montrose Avenue in Albany Park, taking both cash and merchandise from the store.
- Around 10 p.m. Thursday, three gunmen also robbed a liquor store in the 2900 block of North Central Avenue in Belmont Central, again taking cash from the register.
- Around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, a crew robbed Konrad Liquors, at 6720 W. Belmont Ave. in Schorsch Village. Two clerks told police three armed men took cash from the register.
The CPD on Tuesday could not confirm today if the robbery crew behind the Thursday night robberies was also behind the latest ones. But they're asking businesses to be on alert.
Chicago Police also told surveillance video will be key in tracking down the offenders, so they urged businesses make sure their cameras are in working order. Police also urged staff at businesses to stay alert, and watch out for suspicious people loitering in the area.
Anyone with information on the robberies is asked to call Area 3 detectives at 312-744-8263 or Area 5 detectives at 312-746-7394.