40 violent robberies reported in Chicago in three weeks, with no arrests in any of them
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A total of 40 violent robberies have been reported in Chicago in just the past three weeks – and no one has been arrested in any of them.
CBS 2's Tara Molina sought answers from police Monday on what is being done about the robbery epidemic.
The number of violent robberies in recent weeks has been averaging one per day. Eight of them all happened early Monday morning in the Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village, Bucktown, and Logan Square areas within a period of an hour and a half.
- At 5:20 a.m., three men got out of a dark-colored sedan and robbed a woman at gunpoint in the 1600 block of North Hermitage Avenue.
- At 5:22 a.m., four men with guns robbed a man in the 1600 block of North Damen Avenue. They took his wallet and power tools and fled in a gray vehicle.
- Around 5:25 a.m., three men stepped out of a black sedan and robbed a woman at gunpoint in the 2300 block of West North Avenue.
- Also around 5:25 a.m., two men got out of a gray car and robbed a group of people in the 1600 block of North Ashland Avenue. Two of the victims, both women, called police after they arrived at work in the West Loop.
- Around 5:35 a.m., two people exited a car and robbed a man at gunpoint in the 2200 block of North Milwaukee Avenue.
- At 5:40 a.m., a man was sitting in a work truck in the 600 block of North Western Avenue when two robbers got out of a dark-colored vehicle and tried to take his property. They did not end up getting anything.
- Also around 5:40 a.m., three robbers exited a dark-colored vehicle and held up two people at gunpoint the 2000 block of North Milwaukee Avenue.
- At 6:29 a.m., a man was robbed at gunpoint in the 1700 block of North Western Avenue. The robbers took the man's wallet and cellphone and then threw the phone back at the victim.
Police also issued a warning about 10 armed robberies on Friday – three of them Ukrainian Village. Others occurred in the Heart of Chicago, Logan Square, Irving Park, and Hermosa communities.
In the incidents on Friday, the robbers approached the victims in the public way and demanded their property at gunpoint. The three robbers were between 17 and 30 years old and were armed with semiautomatic handguns.
The specific times and locations were as follows:
- At 12:45 a.m. Friday in the 2100 block of West Cullerton Street.
- At 1 a.m. Friday in the 2600 block of West Iowa Street.
- At 1:05 a.m. Friday in the 900 block of North Western Avenue.
- At 1:19 a.m. Friday in the 800 block of North Rockwell Street.
- At 1:21 a.m. Friday in the 3400 block of West Armitage Avenue.
- At 1:25 a.m. Friday in the 3600 block of West Shakespeare Avenue.
- At 1:39 a.m. Friday in the 3400 block of West Irving Park Road.
- At 1:40 a.m. Friday in the 4000 block of West Wellington Avenue.
- Between 2 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. Friday in the 3100 block of North Pulaski Road.
- At 2:10 a.m. Friday in the 4000 block of West Fullerton Avenue.
Could these robberies be tied to any other violent robberies we've tracked – a number of them, also involving three armed men? Police aren't saying, and won't address those questions.
But we did learn, checking in on each and every one the recent robberies on Monday, there have been no arrests. There have been no arrests in robberies involving beatings with weapons – and even shootings.
Meanwhile, the most recent spike in robberies has been on the North and West sides. But the five community areas that have seen the most violent robberies and hijackings this year are, in order, Austin with 479, the Near West Side with 330, West Town with 325, the Near North Side with 298, and The Loop with 285.
A breakdown of other incidents since Nov. 14 follows:
Still under investigation, Monday, Nov. 14:
-400 block of West Arlington Place, Lincoln Park – three to four men in ski masks displayed a gun and robbed man of an unspecified age and a 31-year-old woman at 10:50 p.m..
Suspended, Monday, Nov. 14:
-2000 block of North Orleans Street, Lincoln Park – three to four men in ski masks displayed a gun, ordered a couple – ages 26 and 27 – to the ground, and robbed them at 11:10 p.m.
Still under investigation, Tuesday Nov. 15/Wednesday, Nov. 16:
-800 block of West Sunnyside Avenue, Uptown – three men with gun rob two women of laptops, phones around 11 a.m.
-800 block of West Sunnyside Avenue, Uptown – two men rob a man at gunpoint.
-5000 block of North Kenmore Avenue, Uptown – three men in ski masks with guns rob man.
Suspended, Thursday, Nov. 17:
-6400 block of North Claremont Avenue, West Rogers Park – group of men rob 35-year-old man.
Still under investigation, Thursday, Nov. 17:
-4800 block of West Ainslie Street, North Mayfair –five men rob man at gunpoint around 1:30 a.m.
Still under investigation, Saturday, Nov. 19:
-300 block of West Walton Street, Near North Side – two men with guns carjack woman.
-200 block of South Wells Street, Loop – men rob and carjack man at gunpoint.
Still under investigation, Sunday, Nov. 20:
-2600 block of North Burling Street, Lincoln Park – three men rob couple at gunpoint around 2:25 a.m.
-500 block of West Belden Avenue, Lincoln Park – three men rob couple at gunpoint around 3 a.m.
Still under investigation, Friday, Nov. 25:
-800 block of North Campbell Avenue, West Town – masked men rob man, fail with his SUV around 7:30 a.m.
-800 block of North Rockwell Street, West Town – masked men robbed woman of her purse around 7:40 a.m.
-800 block of North Campbell Avenue, West Town – carjacking around 7:45 a.m.
- 6400 block of North Hoyne Avenue, West Rogers Park – Three men rob woman at gunpoint around 8 a.m.
-6500 block of North Damen Avenue, West Rogers Park – Men rob woman, end up crashing, at 8:11 a.m.
-6000 block of North Campbell Avenue, West Rogers Park – men attempt to carjack at gunpoint, but end up robbing him of wallet at gunpoint.
-6200 block of North Claremont Avenue, West Rogers Park – robbery of wallets at gunpoint.
-1300 block of North Maplewood Avenue, West Town – robbery of woman at gunpoint.
Still under investigation, Monday, Nov. 28:
A 38-year-old man was walking out of a BP gas station when three men beat him over the head with a gun and took his wallet at 4:05 a.m.
Still under investigation, Tuesday, Nov. 29:
-5100 block of South Laflin Street, Back of the Yards – a man was in an alley trying to jumpstart a car at 9:32 p.m. when another man came up and demanded his wallet at gunpoint. The robber shot the man in the leg and took his wallet.
Suspended, Monday, Nov. 28:
-4000 block of West Cornelia Avenue – A 62-year-old man was walking on the sidewalk at 1:30 a.m. when three men took his phone and wallet at gunpoint and took his wallet. The robbers struck the man in the face with the gun.
Police say: "A suspended status means the case cannot proceed further at this time. That can happen for a variety of reasons, including detectives exhausting all leads currently available.
"It is not a permanent status and it can be changed if and when more information becomes available.
"Anyone with information is urged to contact police or submit an anonymous tip online at CPDTIP.com."
Police would not tell us why the investigations into certain crimes mentioned above have been suspended.
