Wild crime spree ends with 8 separate carjackings, robberies in one hour
CHICAGO (CBS) – A group of men went on a wild carjacking spree in eight incidents across Chicago in just over an hour Saturday morning.
According to the Chicago Police Department, the robberies happened within minutes of each other in the Little Village, Noble Square, Roscoe Village, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, and Wicker Park neighborhoods.
Police say the four or five men they are looking for started off in the 3300 block of West 31st Street around 6:30 a.m. That's when they robbed a man ordering from a food truck before getting into an Uber -- and carjacking that Uber driver.
They then hit the 1200 block of North Greenview Avenue about a half hour later and attempted to rob a newspaper delivery person while still in that Uber that they stole.
They then left North Hamilton Avenue, robbed another newspaper person, stole that person's Jeep and ditched the stolen Uber for that new car.
Police say they split up and headed north where they robbed two people -- a 62-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man -- in one location. At the same time, another possible team at the 800 block of Buckingham Palace carjacked another person and stole his 2014 Toyota Corolla.
A short time later, the drivers of the Jeep abandoned the vehicle on North Orchard and carjacked a 36-year-old for his Nissan Murano, which they later ditched in Wicker Park after robbing two more people.
After all that, police say, the men fled on foot.
The men used semi-automatic handguns to commit these crimes, but police say no one was hurt.
The following are the incident times and locations:
· 3300 block of West 31st Street on July 16, 2022, at 6:30 a.m.
· 3700 block of West 33rd Street on July 16, 2022, at 6:35 a.m.
· 1200 block of North Greenview Avenue on July 16, 2022, at 6:54 a.m.
· 3400 block of North Hamilton Avenue on July 16, 2022, at 7:20 a.m.
· 900 block of West Newport Avenue on July 16, 2022, at 7:20 a.m.
· 800 block of Buckingham Place on July 16, 2022, at 7:21 a.m.
· 2500 block of North Orchard Avenue on July 16, 2022, at 7:33 a.m.
· 1600 block of North Marshfield Avenue on July 16, 2022, at 7:36 a.m.
The offenders are described as three to four African American males between the ages of 18 and 25, wearing dark clothing, and ski masks. The men used dark-colored semi-automatic handguns.
Police are reminding the public:
· Be aware of these crimes and alert family and friends who live in the area.
· Be aware of your surroundings and free from distractions.
· If you are confronted by an assailant, remain calm.
Pay special attention to suspicious individuals or vehicles in the area.
· Call 911 immediately if you are a victim or witness to a crime and provide a detailed description of the offender(s) including any vehicle description and license plate information.
· If approached by a witness to an incident, request they remain on the scene when possible or obtain contact information.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Bureau of Detectives Area Three Detective Division at 312-744-8263.
