CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Chicago police said four teenagers are in custody, charged with reckless conduct, and are suspected in a series of violent robberies Sunday evening over a period of three hours on the North Side.
Police said the robberies happened between 5:15 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. in the Old Town, Lincoln Park, River North and Gold Coast neighborhoods.They said the two 13-year-old boys, a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, who were arrested match the descriptions of those responsible. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the teens are linked to three of the robberies. He said more photo arrays are being shown to the victims.Victims ranged in age from 21 to 64 and were physically attacked, but did not require hospitalization.
Police said the first robbery happened around 5:15 p.m. in the 400 block of North Lower Wabash in the River North neighborhood. A 57-year old woman was approahced by two males who punched her in the face and took her purse. The offenders fled and the woman was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital to be treated for cuts to her face.
Around 7:15 p.m., in the 1100 block of West Dickens in the Lincoln Park community, police said a 21-year old woman was approached by two males wearing ski masks. They grabbed her shoulders and demanded her wallet, but she ran and screamed for help and the suspects took off without getting anything. Neighbors waited with her until police arrived and she did not receive medical attention.
A few minutes later, in the Old Town neighborhood, in the 1700 block of North Park at 7:22 p.m., police say a 64-year old man was approached by three males and one female, who without warning, began punching and kicking him before taking his cell phone after he fell to the ground. The suspects ran away and the victim refused medical
An hour later, around 8:15 p.m., in the 1300 block of North Astor in the Gold Coast neighborhood, police said two males approached a 33-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman as they were unloading items from their car. The males robbed the couple at gunpoint and pushed the male victim to the ground causing him to cut a knee. A witness noticed the robbers had a Jeep waiting for them. The male victim was treated on the scene by the Chicago Fire Department.
Police said they arrested teenagers at 11:30 p.m. in the 1800 North block of North Freemont matching the descriptions of the suspects, but the victims of the robberies could not confirm they were the suspects. Police said the four suspects were originally charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct, because they could not be positively identified by the victims.
