Waukegan Robbers Ordering Victims To Disrobe
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (CBS) -- Thieves in the Waukegan area appear to be taking a new tactic to delay their victims from calling 911.
As WBBM Newsradio's Julie Mann reports, the robbers are ordering their victims strip down to their underwear at gunpoint.
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Waukegan police say in two separate robberies on the same day, three men told police they were approached by a group of younger men who demanded money.
Both robberies happened on July 24.
In one case, the men made off with a wallet and $3 when they robbed two men in around 7 a.m. in an alley in the 700 block of Walnut Street in Waukegan. A robber hit one of the victims with the butt of his gun when he said he didn't have any money.
In the second case, the victim was robbed of his wallet and cell phone by four men as he sat in his car. One of the robbers fired two shots in the air with a .22-caliber handgun.
Both times, however, the victims were told to undress, and ordered to remove their shirts, pants, socks and shoes.
Waukegan police say this does not appear to be a trend, and the suspects' demand for the victims to disrobe is likely a distraction to stall them from calling police.
"Other than the two (incidents), I know of no other robberies like that," said Waukegan Police Cmdr. Gabriel Guzman.
Police cautioned there really isn't anything you can do as a victim other than comply, especially if robbers display a gun or other weapon.
The Lake County News-Sun contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.
