Police increase patrols in Northwest Side communities where machete-wielding robber has struck
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police have increased patrols in the Northwest Side neighborhoods where a machete-wielding robber has been striking lately.
So far, there have been eight machete robberies. The attacks have happened in Irving Park, Avondale, and Logan Square.
CBS 2's Tara Molina talked with the family of the latest victim, who was attacked around 9 p.m. Sunday in the 3700 block of North Troy Street, between Grace Street and Waveland Avenue, in the Irving Park neighborhood.
the 52-year-old man was walking down the street with a pizza he was bringing back for dinner when a man approached him, machete-in-hand – robbing him.
"He came with the machete," the man's girlfriend said. "He told him, he told him, give me your money."
Too scared, too shaken to show her face on camera, the girlfriend did not want to go on camera. She showed us the pizza topping packets that were left behind after the robbery – and that was far from the worst of it.
"My boyfriend told him, 'I don't have money,'" the victim's girlfriend said.
At that point, she said the attacker swung the machete at her boyfriend twice. He dodged the blade and fell – pizza in hand.
He cut himself on the ground- but his girlfriend said when he saw blood, "My boyfriend think the guy got him with the machete."
The victim was bruised and on edge Monday, but his girlfriend said he was home and doing all right.
The man who swung the machete at him took off with his wallet, which police said the victim threw into the street to distract the robber.
"The guy take the pizza too!" the victim's girlfriend said.
The assailant got into the passenger side of a silver car. The latest victim described the attacker to his girlfriend and his family.
The attacker, the girlfriend said, was in his early 20's, "between 5'6" and 5'8." he's skinny, Hispanic and have a hoodie."
With all of this happening around 9 at night in a family neighborhood – right in front of a church with surveillance cameras on it – we asked around about video of the machete-yielding attacker.
We haven't heard back yet, but he is behind at least seven other attacks, which date back to Friday, May 27.
The incident times and locations are as follows:
· 3000 block of North Christiana Avenue on Friday, May 27 at 7:58 p.m. The machete-wielding attacker approached a 34-year-old man and demanded the victim's property. The victim handed it over, and the attacker left in a gray sedan.
· 3200 block of North Monticello Avenue on Monday, May 30 at 11:45 p.m. A 19-year-old man was walking on the sidewalk when the man with the machete came up and demanded his property. The victim complied, and the attacker left in a silver/gray sedan.
· 4100 block of West Fletcher Street between Monday, May 30 at 11:45 p.m. and Tuesday, May 31 at 12:10 a.m. A 47-year-old man was walking on the sidewalk when the attacker came up and demanded his property while brandishing a machete. The victim complied, and the attacker fled in the silver/gray sedan.
· 3300 block of North Monticello Avenue on Friday, June 3 at 9 p.m. A woman was walking home when the man approached her, brandishing the machete as he demanded her property. The victim complied, but the attacker then pushed the victim and fled back into the passenger side of the vehicle in which he'd arrived.
· 4000 block of West Eddy Street on Friday, June 3 between 9 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Two women, ages 22 and 56, were approached by the machete-wielding offender. He demanded both their property and they complied. He fled in the silver/gray sedan.
· 3000 block of Christina Avenue on Saturday, June 4 around 8:20 p.m. A 44-year-old woman was walking when a man came up from behind and got the victim's attention by speaking. The man ordered the victim to hand over her property, and she complied.
· 4100 block of West Wellington Avenue on Saturday, June 4 just before 9 p.m. A 28-year-old woman was crossing the street with a 7-month-old baby boy when a silver sedan almost hit her. The driver apologized and kept going. The woman and the baby then went into the alley, at which time the silver sedan reversed the vehicle to enter the alley. The driver then waved a sharp object, demanded the victim's property, and got back in the car and left.
Police believe the same man is behind all the attacks so far.
"The fact that the common weapon is a machete is the common denominator – they likely are related. We don't have an offender in custody yet, but I will tell you, we're expending all of our resources to capture this person as soon as possible," police Supt. David Brown said Monday. "Obviously, we're concerned – as every resident is – that this violent person is using a weapon like a machete, but we at this point don't have an offender in custody. But we are working – we're adding resources to the area where this is happening. We did that overnight, and we're adding more resources until this person is brought into custody."
Police also believe there is a second person involved who has been the driver of the silver or gray car.
