A string of overnight robberies near DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus have students and faculty on high alert.
According to the school, six students were robbed in three separate incidents between 12:05 a.m. and 12:35 a.m. on Thursday morning. In two of the incidents, a group of men, wearing surgical masks and brandishing guns, jumped out of a white Audi SUV and robbed students at gunpoint.
The offenders, described as four to five men between the ages of 18 and 22, then escaped in the SUV, driving away from the scene.
According to two of the robbery victims, they were leaving a 7-11 location and walking back to their dorm when the suspects jumped out of a vehicle and put guns to their heads. They cooperated with the robbers, who escaped with their wallets and purses.
“In the aftermath of this concerning sequence of incidents, DePaul’s Public Safety continues with the Chicago Police Department 18th District and Area Central Detective Division to make our neighborhood safer,” the school said in a statement.
The incidents occurred:
- 2300 block of North Sheffield, between 12:15 and 12:25 a.m.
- 2500 block of North Sheffield at 12:30 a.m.
- 1600 block of West Armitage, between 12:05 and 12:35 a.m.
No one is in custody in any of the robberies. Anyone with information on any of the incidents, or who witnesses suspicious activity, is encouraged to contact Chicago Police, or to call DePaul Public Safety at 773-325-7777.
