A string of four armed robberies near the University of Illinois Chicago, police believe, are connected to the same two offenders.
The most recent robbery occurred on Wednesday. UIC police say a student was walking in the 1000 block of south Racine Avenue when a man got out of a black Range Rover, flashed a gun and stole a student’s bag, cash and cellphone.
Raymond White walks the area in the early morning on a daily basis and said the news validates his cautious approach.
“I’m always watching my back, I don’t care where I’m at,” White said.
On Tuesday, a UIC employee was walking in the parking garage at 1100 West Harrison Street when a young man showed a gun and demanded her purse, again taking off in a black Range Rover.
On Monday in the 900 block of South Oakley Boulevard police say two robberies occurred just minutes apart.
About 10:15 p.m. a resident was walking home when he was approached by a man with a gun. He was forced to the ground before the offender grabbed his cellphone and ran away.
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About 10 minutes later, in the same block, a 21-year-old pregnant woman sitting in her car was robbed. A Tri-Taylor Community Facebook page post said the offender “shoved the gun into her car, put the gun to her head, took the safety off and demanded her phone, wallet and PIN number.”
Page Blumer moved from Canada to the area just over a year ago, saying she hopes the offenders are caught so this doesn’t happen again.
“(I) hope it’s isolated and doesn’t come back,” she said. “We’ve been in Chicago a year and have seen too much already.”
Police urge residents to be aware and asking witnesses to report any details they might have seen.
