Police Warn Of Strings Of Robberies, Carjackings In South Shore And On West Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- In another string of instances of an ongoing crime crisis in Chicago, police on Tuesday put out two community alerts about carjackings in two different areas of the city.
One alert warned of a string of robberies that sometimes also involved carjackings in South Shore over the past several weeks. In three of the incidents, one to three assailants came up to a victim on foot and either took out a gun or implied they had one while robbing them of their property. In two others, the victims had just gotten out of their parked cars before two to three assailants appeared with a gun and took their property and the vehicles.
Police listed a total of six incidents, but did not specify which ones involved carjackings. The incidents happened:
• At 3:20 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6 in the 6900 block of South Jeffery Boulevard;
• At 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8 in the 6700 block of South Chappel Avenue;
• At 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the 6900 block of South Clyde Avenue;
• At 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, in the 2000 block of East 68th Street;
• At 6:10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, the 6800 block of South Euclid Avenue;
• At 12:10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, in the 6900 block of South Oglesby Avenue.
The suspects are believed to be between 21 and 25 years old. Anyone with information is asked to call Area One detectives at (312) 747-8380.
Police separately warned of a string of carjackings involving the same getaway vehicle that have occurred across the West Side, from the West Loop to South Austin.
The suspects in the West Side incidents are using a black Mercedes sport-utility vehicle with tinted windows, pulling up to the victims, taking out guns, and stealing their late-model vehicles, police said.
Police did not specify when these carjackings happened, but they happened across a range of several miles. One carjacking happened in the 100 block of North Halsted Street in the West Loop, another in the 3900 block of West Madison Street in West Garfield Park, and a third in the 5800 block of West Washington Boulevard in South Austin.
One of the suspects was described as 6 feet 1 inches tall and 150 to 160 pounds, and two were wearing black jackets, police said. Anyone with information in these cases is asked to call Area Four detectives at (312) 746-8253.
These incidents come on the heels of numerous other carjackings around the city over the past several weeks.
On Thursday, Dec. 3, retired Chicago Fire Department Lt. Dwain Williams, 65, was leaving the Let's Get Poppin popcorn store at 11758 S. Western Ave. in the Morgan Park neighborhood and was walking to his vehicle, when a four-door dark-colored sedan pulled up and four men got out and bum rushed him, police said. Surveillance video shows Williams leaving the popcorn shop, where he had gone for twice a week for snacks and conversation for more than 25 years.
The video showed three armed men hopping out of another car and coming at Williams.
Williams pulled his gun and fired at one of the suspect, more shots were fired. Williams was hit in the abdomen and later died.
Carjackers have also struck in recent weeks in other neighborhoods around the city from the Loop to Washington Park and from Lakeview to Bucktown. Just early Tuesday, police said a rideshare driver was carjacked at gunpoint at Garfield Boulevard and Prairie Avenue in the Washington Park neighborhood.
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