LINCOLN PARK — A man held up a Webster Avenue hair salon at gunpoint Tuesday morning, the latest in a string of stylist shop robberies in the city and suburbs, police said.
Police said the man walked into the Great Clips at 1005 W. Webster Ave. near the DePaul University campus and robbed an employee at gunpoint shortly before 10 a.m.
The salon was open for business when the man struck, but it is unclear if any customers were inside, police said.
The suspect displayed a handgun and demanded money from the employee, who handed over an undisclosed amount of cash before the robber fled the scene, cops said. There were no reported injuries.
The suspect was described as a Hispanic male standing 6 feet tall and weighing approximately 200 pounds, police said. He was wearing a red coat at the time of the holdup, police added.
DePaul University sent out a public safety alert to students shortly after noon Tuesday informing them of the incident.
Police said it was too early to tell if the suspect was the same man who has recently robbed a number of city and suburban hair salons.
Kevin Hammett, the owner of Kevin Hammet Photography located next door to Great Clips, said he was inside his business when the robbery occurred but didn't hear anything until the police arrived.
Despite the proximity of the robbery, Hammet said he still feels safe in the neighborhood.
"I think that it can happen anywhere," he said. "I've been in this neighborhood for 12 years. It can happen to anybody."
In response to a recent string of armed robberies, an employee at a Restoration Salon, located around the corner from the Great Clips, said she began locking the front door of the salon at 7 p.m. every night although the business is open until 9 p.m. She said she tries to remember customers faces and hopes she recognizes them at the door if they come after 7 p.m.
In late December, police sent a warning to Lincoln Park hair salons to be on guard after a man robbed two salons on Fullerton Avenue at gunpoint.
Great Clips was open and full of customers Tuesday afternoon, but a manager was unavailable for comment.
