Days after Chicago college campuses reported an uptick in armed robberies, at least five different armed robberies occurred overnight in several neighborhoods across the city, including one incident at a retail shop where employees were tied up at gunpoint, police said.
Chicago Police have not said whether the incidents were connected. However, in each of the incidents, between two and three male suspects armed with guns demand property and flee in an SUV, police reports showed.
The first incident occurred at 7:57 p.m. inside of an AT&T store in the 1700 block of West Fullerton near the Bucktown neighborhood. According to police, two suspects armed with guns entered the store and proceeded to tie up employees' hands with zip ties. The suspects then took cell phones and other electronic items from the store before fleeing the scene in a white SUV, according to police.
At 12:15 a.m. in the 3000 block of West Carroll in Garfield Park, a 23-year-old male was walking on the sidewalk when three males excited a white SUV and stole his backpack and wallet at gunpoint. A similar incident occurred shortly afterwards, at 12:53 a.m. in the 400 block of North Aberdeen in the West Loop, when three armed males exited a white SUV and robbed a 25-year-old man, police said.
Neither of the victims were injured, police said.
Several hours later, at 2:10 a.m. in the 1100 block of West Van Buren, police said a 33-year-old man was walking on the sidewalk when three people exited a dark-colored SUV and stole his wallet and cell phone at gunpoint.
At 2:42 a.m. in the 3500 block of North Kimball in Irving Park, a man was in the parking lot of a retail store when two people exited a black SUV and took his backpack and wallet at gunpoint, police said.
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Although police said none of the victims in the overnight instances were injured, the armed robberies come following a rash of violent robberies across the city, including one that occurred Monday afternoon in broad daylight in the Bucktown neighborhood.
According to police, at 2:55 p.m. a man, 33, was walking in the 2000 block of North Damen when when unknown suspects quickly approached from behind and began battering the victim
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Surveillance video from the attack shows two people continuing to violently beat the victim on the ground.
The suspects can then be seen taking the victims personal belongings before fleeing the scene on foot.
According to police, no injuries were reported, and no one was in custody.
