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Near West Side Armed Robberies Stop After Police Nab Offender, Police Say

By Stephanie Lulay | October 2, 2014 8:33am
 A string of September armed robberies on the Near West Side stopped after one of three offenders was nabbed, police said.
A string of September armed robberies on the Near West Side stopped after one of three offenders was nabbed, police said.
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NEAR WEST SIDE — A string of September armed robberies on the Near West Side stopped after one of three robbers was nabbed, police leaders said at a Near West District CAPS meeting.

More than 50 concerned residents attended the Beat 1224 meeting at the American Chartered Bank Wednesday night seeking more information about the neighborhood robberies.

Sgt. Dave Weigand said three armed robberies previously reported in the area were believed to have been committed by two teens.

After an investigation, police determined that three teens were involved in a total of seven armed robberies. Three of the seven armed robberies occurred in the 1224 police beat, Weigand said.

One of the robbers was arrested Sept. 17 and charged with armed robbery, Weigand said Wednesday. The crew of offenders would rob victims at gunpoint, he said.

"Since that time, they stopped," he said. After the first robber was arrested, "it spooked the other two."

With the help of surveillance cameras, investigators tracked a white Pontiac Grand Am the robber was driving to an Austin home. Investigators are still pursuing the other two robbers.

The Near West Side armed robberies included incidents in the first block of North Bishop Street at 12:40 a.m. Sept. 14 and another on Lake Street in September, according to Weigand and the police department's crime map.

Earlier this month, Chicago Police issued an alert warning residents about a string of armed robberies on the Near West Side and in West Town.

At the meeting, police officers said an e-mail circulated by residents detailing recent crimes was not sent out by police.

Police are asking anyone with information about the robberies to call detectives at 312-747-8382.

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