Two daylight robberies hours apart in different corners of Chicago have police on alert and neighbors on edge, after crews in cars allegedly hopped out with guns, grabbed valuables and sped off before lunchtime was even over.
Chicago police say the first holdup unfolded around 11:25 a.m. Friday on the 9200 block of South May Street in Washington Heights, followed by a second just before midafternoon, at about 2:08 p.m. on the 120 block of East Oak Street in Streeterville. In both cases, suspects rolled up in vehicles, some stayed behind the wheel while others jumped out, pointed guns, announced a robbery and snatched phones, wallets and bags. One victim was pistol-whipped during the chaos, according to FOX 32 Chicago.
Investigators say the offenders were mostly dressed in black, wearing face coverings and dark clothing, with at least one man in a gray hoodie and another in a blue hat. Police also warned that the getaway cars carried stolen or swapped Illinois license plates, a detail that makes tracking them down trickier and suggests at least some planning went into the hits.
Quick hits across the city
These scenes were not one-offs in a quiet week. Police and local outlets have logged a string of similar quick "grab-and-go" robberies that hop from block to block, using a waiting vehicle as the fast exit strategy. That pattern surfaced in Hoodline coverage earlier this month, when a North Side crew hit two shops within 30 minutes, underscoring just how fast these groups can move; see how a crew ripped off two shops. Repeated use of stolen or switched plates has been one of the common threads investigators look for when they try to connect cases.
How police are investigating
The Chicago Police Department has previously turned to a dedicated robbery task force and public surveillance video releases to chase down crews suspected in clusters of daytime holdups. As reported by WTTW News, detectives often link incidents by following the trail of vehicles, license plates and camera footage. Canvassing nearby buildings for any usable video remains a key step in mapping out where suspects came from and where they went after the stickups.
What to do if you have information
Anyone with information about Friday's robberies is asked to call Area Two Detectives at 312-747-8273 or Area Three Detectives at 312-744-8263, or to submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP.com using reference number 26 CWP 008, per FOX 32 Chicago.
Authorities are reminding residents to keep phones and wallets on their person, separate cards from devices and avoid confronting anyone with a weapon. Those small precautions, paired with quick tip-sharing, are the kind of things police say can help detectives move faster once a crew like this hits the streets.
