Residents of Austin, Humboldt Park, and West Town are on high alert after a series of armed robberies have struck these Chicago neighborhoods. The Chicago Police Department has issued a community alert regarding recent crimes where individuals have been threatened with handguns and robbed of their possessions.
According to an alert posted on the Chicago Police Department's website, the occurrences took place on January 31 and February 3. These crimes involved groups of two to four male offenders, described as African American, aged 17-30, dressed in black attire and masks, entering the scene from stolen vehicles, and leaving the same way post-robbery. Victims were accosted by the perpetrators, brandishing black handguns, demanding, and subsequently taking their belongings. The stolen cars identified are a silver Hyundai Tucson and a silver Kia Optima.
Specific incidents occurred on the 4100 block of W. Division and the 1400 block of N. Cicero on January 31 around the same time in the evening, and on the 300 block of N. Western and 1000 block of N. Ashland on February 3, times recorded just minutes apart. The specificity of the incidents points towards a possibly coordinated spree of crime that shook these communities within an hour's span.
The Chicago Police Department urges anyone with information about these robberies to remember key descriptors of the offenders and vehicles, avoiding confrontation or pursuit. "Never resist a robbery. Value your life over any and all property," the department advises, also encouraging witnesses to provide contact information to authorities and to dial 9-1-1 immediately, whilst remaining on the scene if possible; however, do not touch anything until police arrive.
