A string of armed robberies descended upon the North Side of Chicago, with eight incidents occurring within just one hour early today. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the victims ranged in age from 19 to 78, and the crimes transpired in multiple locations.
Most of the robberies involved a group of two to six armed men, who forcibly demanded personal belongings from their victims. Many of these individuals complied in the hopes to spare themselves further harm. In some instances, even after their compliance, the suspects assaulted their victims, including a 78-year-old man who was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center. As reported by ABC7 Chicago, he remains in good condition.
All of these robberies took place within a shockingly tight time frame of around 12:50 a.m. to 1:40 a.m. The North Side communities, particularly the Lincoln Park neighborhood, have been targeted across a string of locations, including the 1900 block of West Wolfram Street, and the 300 block of West Webster Avenue—among others.
No major injuries have been reported thus far, and many victims refused medical attention.
Chicago's police force continues to investigate the situations, though no arrests have been made. According to another Chicago Sun-Times article, it remains unconfirmed whether these crimes have a direct connection despite sharing striking similarities.
