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Are Getaway Car Robberies on North Side Connected?

By Ariel Cheung | September 9, 2015 1:06pm
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Police have "keyed in" on a possible connection between North Siderobberies.
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LAKEVIEW — Police have "keyed in" on a possible connection between robberies in Lakeview, Avondale and Logan Square, according to Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd).

Incidents involving robbers who lurk in vehicles or use cars to flee the scene could be linked, Waguespack said Tuesday.

"It's the exact same 'M.O.' It almost sounds like they were just going back and forth from a little farther west and doing the same thing over the last few weeks," he said.

Police warned of potential robbers lurking in idling vehicles on side streets during a Town Hall District community policing meeting Tuesday.

"We know parking is tight, so they're going to be in illegal spots to stay there and wait for somebody to walk down a side street," Sgt. Jason Clark said. Clark encouraged neighbors to call police about such suspicious vehicles.

Police are also investigating whether any of the eight reported robberies in Lakeview this weekend are connected to the existing pattern, Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) said Tuesday in an email newsletter.

The robberies in question largely take place late at night, prompting police to seek help from bar owners who could reach out to patrons to make sure they have a safe way home after bar close.

On Friday, two men and a woman attacked a victim from behind at 2:20 a.m. in the 3100 block of North Harding Avenue in Avondale, police said. The offenders brandished a handgun and stole property before fleeing in a four-door white car.

Two of the assailants were described as black men between 18-25 years old, one with braids and the other with a shaved head. They were accompanied by a black woman, 18-20 years old with a pony tail.

Two other incidents in Avondale also involved two or three offenders, who displayed a handgun and demanded property. The first took place at 3:30 a.m. Aug. 13 in the 3000 block of North Davlin Court. The second was at 1 a.m. Sunday in the 3000 block of North Milwaukee Avenue.

On Aug. 22, three men lurked in a silver car in the 3200 block of North Seminary Avenue in Lakeview before attacking a victim just before midnight, police said. The four-door sedan had black rims and body damage to the rear right side.

One alleged robber, a black man in his 20s with short hair, displayed a handgun before demanding property from the victim. The two accomplices were described as black men, also in their 20s, with T-shirts and baggy pants.

Five days later, a single assailant escaped in a vehicle with a driver after using a handgun in an alleged robbery in the 2300 block of West School Street around 9:20 p.m. The offender was described as a black man 20-25 years old wearing a camouflaged zip-up hooded sweatshirt and dark blue jeans.

In the early hours of Aug. 30, a third incident involved two black men who appeared from an alley and demanded property at gunpoint, police said.

Both men appeared to be 20-25 years old and were wearing black hooded sweatshirts and black pants. One was 5 feet, 7 inches tall and about 150 pounds, while the second was 6 feet tall and about 160 pounds.

While Waguespack spoke of two recent robberies in the Shakespeare District, police warned of similar incidents in June, July and August. In all three, the offenders also exited vehicles to brandish handguns and demand cell phones and their pass codes before fleeing in a red car, possibly a Toyota or Honda.

Waguespack said the Lakeview incidents are typically happening in the 44th ward and the Wrigleyville area, but residents in his ward should still "stay on top of it."

For his part, Waguespack said he's been in talks with police commanders to ensure minor incidents like garage break-ins are still be thoroughly investigated, even when response times drag out due to a short-handed police shift.

"I understand they have to go to areas where there's more activity and more serious issues, so I'm sitting down with the commander and saying, 'Hey, you've got to go back and look at each one of those incidents and figure out why the response took so long," he said.

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