A late-night run to a convenience store on Chicago's Southwest Side turned violent early Sunday when multiple robbers attacked a 27-year-old man inside the shop, took his cash, and left the business lighter in the register. Police say it happened in Garfield Ridge around 3:30 a.m. The attackers took off before officers arrived, leaving the victim with minor injuries and no suspects in custody.
According to FOX 32 Chicago, officers were called to the 5800 block of South Archer Avenue a little after 3:30 a.m. Multiple offenders approached the man inside the store and demanded money. After he complied, one of them hit him in the head with a blunt object, police said. The group then grabbed additional cash from inside the business and sped off in a black sedan. Area detectives are handling the case while the victim treated himself for his minor wounds.
Pattern Along Archer Avenue
Police say the robbery appears to track with a broader pattern of early-morning thefts and break-ins along Archer Avenue and across the Southwest Side. An earlier Chicago Police Department alert that laid out dozens of smash-and-grab burglaries and related robberies in those neighborhoods is detailed by CBS Chicago, which helps explain why investigators are paying close attention to the corridor.
Police Urge Anyone With Information to Come Forward
Detectives with the Bureau of Detectives, Area One, are asking anyone who knows anything about Sunday's robbery to get in touch. FOX 32 Chicago reports that tips on similar Southwest Side cases have been directed to Area One detectives at (312) 747-8380 as investigators review surveillance footage and follow up on witness leads.
