At Least 12 Delivery Truck Robberies Reported in Chicago in 6 Weeks

For at least the 12th time in six weeks, a delivery driver was robbed while on the job in Chicago Wednesday morning.

Around 11:25 a.m., a United States Postal Service mail carrier was delivering a package near the 7300 block of S. Wabash Ave. in the city's Park Manor neighborhood, according to police.

Two unknown black men approached and stole an unknown amount of mail and packages, authorities said, before fleeing westbound in a gray Pontiac sedan. 

Further details and a description of the suspects were not available. No one is in custody and authorities continue to investigate. 

Wednesday's incident is the second time in the past 24 hours, and the third time in as many days, that a delivery truck was robbed on Chicago's South Side.

At 11 a.m. on Tuesday, an unmarked delivery driver was at the rear of the vehicle in the 8400 block of S. Hermitage Ave. in the city's Gresham neighborhood when he was approached by two unknown black men, according to police. 

One of the suspects displayed a firearm and announced a robbery, police said, and both removed bags containing packages from the truck before fleeing eastbound in a black minivan. 

Both suspects are described as black men standing around 5'10," one weighing approximately 190 pounds and the other between 210 and 215 pounds. Both were wearing black hooded sweatshirts, officials said. 

Another robbery occurred in the city's Englewood neighborhood on Monday, as a postal worker was delivering mail. 

These incidents bring the number of times a letter carrier or delivery truck driver has been robbed to 12 over the last six weeks. 

Previous robberies occurred as follows: 

• Nov. 30: Police said a FedEx truck was stolen around 11:30 a.m. in the 7400 block of S. Vernon Ave. in the Park Manor neighborhood, then later located about a half-mile away in the 7400 block of S. Evans. FedEx said in a statement that no injuries were reported and it could not confirm if any packages were taken from the truck.
• Nov. 30: Two men approached and robbed a UPS driver just before 9 p.m. in the 8500 block of South Prairie in the Chatham neighborhood, according to police. The thieves showed a gun and then grabbed at least three packages out of the back of the truck before they got away, according to UPS. The driver was not injured in the incident.
• Dec. 8: A 32-year-old driver was delivering packages in the 700 block of E. 80th St. in Chatham when an armed offender approached the truck, police said. The suspect displayed a handgun and stole the driver's personal items before fleeing. The driver, who was not injured, fled the scene and called police. It was unknown if any packages were stolen.
• Dec. 19: Officers responded to a call of a robbery in the 4900 block of W. Kamerling Ave. in the North Austin neighborhood on Chicago's West Side, where a 51-year-old man reported that three male suspects approached him after he exited a delivery truck. One of the offenders showed a handgun and announced a robbery, police said. During the robbery, the suspect fired the gun and the victim fled, returning later to find that items were missing from the truck.
• Dec. 19: A driver was making deliveries in the 5100 block of S. Princeton Ave. in Fuller Park, according to police, when four men approached and one displayed a handgun. They took the driver's personal belongings and stole the truck, police said. Officers later found the vehicle abandoned in the 5400 block of S Shields Ave with items missing.
• Dec. 28: Around 9:14 a.m., a 46-year-old FedEx driver was making a package delivery in the 7500 block of S. Green St. in the city's Gresham neighborhood when a two men drove up and parked alongside her truck, according to police. One of the men got out of the car, approached the driver and displayed a handgun, authorities said, forcing the driver to toss him her keys. He then fled the scene in the delivery truck, officials said. Officers spotted a truck matching the description a few miles away, where the truck collided with a car in the intersection of W. 67th St and S. Wentworth Ave. before continuing to drive southbound. The truck then hit a fence and came to a stop, police said. After a brief foot chase, officers were able to apprehend the suspect, a 15-year-old boy, according to police. He was taken to St. Bernard Hospital in good condition for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash, authorities said, and charged accordingly. A spokesperson for FedEx confirmed that the truck was recovered with all packages still inside.
• Jan. 3: Around 12:50 p.m., a USPS letter carrier was robbed at gunpoint in the 7900 block of S. Manistee Ave. in the South Chicago neighborhood, police said, when a suspect approached the victim outside of the delivery vehicle. The offender fled with packages and US Mail.
• Jan. 4: Another letter carrier was robbed around 1 p.m. in the 2200 block of E. Van Vlissingen, according to a statement from the USPS, which is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspects involved. The suspects were described as two black men between the ages of 28 and 30 years old. the first, who was armed with a handgun, stands at 6'0" tall with a medium build. He was unshaven with hanging black dreadlocks above the shoulder, the USPS said, and was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt. The second suspect stands around 5'6" with a large build and was also unshaven with hanging black dreadlocks above the shoulder. He was wearing a green and brown camouflage sweatshirt, according the USPS alert. Anyone with information is asked to contact Chicago police.
• Jan. 5: Around 8 a.m., a driver was returning to his truck after making a delivery on the 3100 block of S. Normal Ave. in the Bridgeport neighborhood when he was approached by an armed male who demanded his keys to the truck. The driver complied and handed over his keys to the suspect, who fled the scene southbound, according to police.