A Logan Square man said three masked men knew exactly what they wanted when they held him up at gunpoint Thursday morning: the family's prized pit bulls.
Julio Nieves was working in a garage on the 2200 block of North Lawndale Avenue at about 10 a.m. when he said the men walked in, put a gun to his head, and ordered him to the ground.
"The only thing I remember telling [them], 'Don't kill me. Take whatever it is you want,'" the 73-year-old great-grandfather recalled.
The robbers got away with three female pit bulls, two of which were pregnant.
Nieves' great-granddaughter explained that she and her family breeds the dogs and shows them around the country. One dog can sell for between $12,000 and $15,000. Pregnant dogs are worth even more, Shakira Cartagena said.
Cartagena believes the robbers knew the layout of the property and were careful to avoid security cameras.
"They know how the dog's cage looks because in order for them to come and go to the exact place, that means they know. They've been here before," she said.
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Nieves wasn't hurt but said he heard one gunshot before the robbers took off with the dogs.
Security cameras in the neighborhood may have recorded the men walking around. Chicago detectives said they're investigating the case.
