5-Apr-18 – One after another they come in. The calls for robberies in progress or robberies “just occurred” in the Loop and Near North areas sometime come in waves of three or more.

The frequency and brazenness of the muggings are often reminiscent of the days when Wrigleyville and Boystown were the city’s most robbery-laden neighborhoods. Thanks to community pressure and a couple of responsive police commanders, things are better there for now. But the clean-up took almost three years to complete. Now, our old problem has found a new home in Chicago’s tourism and business centers.

Chicago cops have made a series of robbery arrests in the Loop and Near North areas over the past ten days, but new hold-ups continue to be reported at a mind-numbing pace.

January 1 through March 27, robberies in the Loop are up 82 percent compared to the same period last year. Compared to 2014, Loop robberies are up 375 percent. Near North has seen a 27 percent year-over-year increase in robberies. Compared to 2014, muggings in Near North are up 211 percent. Source: City of Chicago

On April 4, three robberies were reported downtown within 30 minutes. One of them turned out to be more of a pocket-picking at Jewel-Osco, 102 West Division Street. A woman reported that a man grabbed her wallet out of her purse as she left the grocery store around 3:45 p.m. The thief then jumped into a red Chevy Sonic with Wisconsin plates that was occupied by two other men. A police officer who saw the car idling moments before the robbery described the vehicle’s occupants as three black men – one wearing a black jacket with a blue dress shirt, another wearing all black.

The other two were the real deal. At 3:40 p.m., an 80-year-old man was robbed as he walked out of the Chase bank branch at 1122 North Clark Street (right).

The victim told police that he was in the bank doorway when an unknown offender distracted him by saying there was something on his pants. He then restrained the man, dug into his pocket, took his wallet, and fled. The offender was described as a black male in his mid-to-late-30s who stands about six feet tall, weighs 150 pounds, and was wearing a blue jacket with blue jeans. He was last seen heading south on Clark Street.

About 20 minutes earlier, a man walked into a Loop convenience store in the 600 block of South Dearborn Street and announced a robbery. The clerk activated a silent alarm and refused to hand over any cash. The suspect fled but was captured by cops nearby. Charges are pending.

Previous Saturday was busy, too

A similar wave of robberies was reported early on March 31, with cops handling three muggings in about two hours.

Around 3:30 a.m., a taxi driver reported that he was robbed at gunpoint near North Halsted & West Hubbard by three men, one of whom had a gun. The offenders took his phone, wallet, cash, and chauffer’s license. The incident was captured on the taxi’s surveillance system. The driver described the offenders as three black men in their mid-20s, wearing dark hoodies.

A tourist reported being robbed at 3:49 a.m. outside of Hotel Palomar, 505 North State Street (left). The hotel front desk called police to report that their guest lost his Rolex to a robbery crew that was using a black Chevy Malibu.

Police described the suspects as two black females about 5’5” tall. One wore a heavy black leather jacket. The other was skinnier than the first, but no further information was available about her appearance. They were last seen driving south on State Street.

A United Airlines employee was robbed by two men outside of Willis Tower at 6:45 a.m. on March 31. The man said he was on the Franklin Street side of the skyscraper when two offenders approached and attempted to rob him. The victim was able to break away from the thieves, who were described as two black males. One is about 5’10” tall, about 25 years old, and was wearing a red coat.