Five times last weekend, armed robbers approached people on the street near Wrigley Field, forced them into waiting cars, stole their wallets and phones and then dropped them off, according to a Chicago police alert.
No injuries were reported in the robberies, which occurred during the early morning hours Saturday and Sunday on a stretch of Clark Street between Addison and Roscoe streets, south of Wrigley, police said.
In the alert, the attacks were listed as happening in the 3500 block of North Clark Street on Saturday, the 3400 block of North Clark on Sunday, the 1100 block of West Addison on Sunday and the 3600 block of North Clark on Sunday. Police later reported a fifth attack also happening in the 1100 block of West Addison early Sunday.
Police described the suspects as two or possibly three Black males, 5-foot-10 to to 6-foot, 150-170 pounds, 25 to 30 years old. A black handgun was used.
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The attacks occurred in the Town Hall Police District, where overall crime is up 66% from a year ago, according to police data. Robberies are up 48%, aggravated battery is up 17% and theft is up 84%.
Retiring Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) has spent the last four years complaining about a shortage of Chicago police officers in the Town Hall District that includes his ward. The troubling wave of recent kidnappings has only strengthened his argument.
“I met with the command staff in the 19th District on Monday and cautioned our commander that these recent crimes point out the need to have additional police coverage in our entertainment areas along Clark and Halsted,” Tunney, who is still mulling a race for mayor, wrote in a text message to the Sun-Times.
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“I also let CPD leadership know once again that they need to increase the number of police officers assigned to the 19th District and that, in the interim, I fully support the district’s request to CPD headquarters to have these extra resources sent to the area for the Halloween weekend,” he said. “As always, I would like to remind residents to be aware of their surroundings, to walk in pairs, and to call the police if they see suspicious behavior.”
The Town Hall district currently has 287 sworn officers. That’s down from 416 officers just a few months after Mayor Lori Lightfoot took office.
