Chicago was hit by a wave of armed robberies overnight with at least six reported incidents terrorizing local businesses and residents, the latest string of such crimes in the city's ongoing battle with theft and violence. According to Chicago Tribune, one assailant brandished a steel hammer during a robbery in the West Loop Gate neighborhood, where the individual threatened an employee before snatching merchandise and fleeing the scene. The incident occurred shortly before 9:45 p.m. Monday in the 100 block of South Halsted Street and set a disconcerting tone for the hours that followed.
In a roughly three-hour span, armed robbers struck four other businesses across the city where guns were drawn and demands were made, thieves left with undisclosed amounts of property and employees were left to grapple with the fright and aftermath of these bold encounters, in one situation a 27-year-old man was riding his scooter when he fell suffering a minor head injury after being confronted by three gunmen. A report by the Chicago Sun-Times detailed several robberies, including an incident around 10 p.m. where two armed individuals entered a business in the 4500 block of North Kedzie Avenue in Albany Park demanding cash then fled the scene.
The night's troubling string of events didn't end there; far too soon for police to even catch their breath, a pair of gunmen targeted another Albany Park business on the 3300 block of West Lawrence Avenue at around 10:30 p.m., however, they were startled away by a security guard. Again in Albany Park, bandits loomed, demanding what they could seize under the threat of gunfire, the city's rhythm once again interrupted by the staccato of crime.
A final reported incident took place around 12:45 a.m., where enforcers of fear employed a devious strategy in the 4300 block of South Ashland Avenue, as a man executed a ruse asking to purchase an item only to pull a gun on the unsuspecting employee. This series of aggressive heists ended with no arrests made, as Chicago police continued to investigate with the goal of bringing these elusive marauders to justice.
