Chicago police are warning residents a couple of wave of robberies tied to on-line exercise, with offenders utilizing social media apps, on-line marketplaces, and even meals supply orders as bait to lure victims into holdup traps.
Detectives have recognized three distinct, lively theft patterns throughout town’s South and Southwest Sides, involving armed offenders who not solely steal property however typically demand digital transfers of money at gunpoint.
In West Pullman and Morgan Park, police say victims are being focused after arranging to satisfy somebody by means of social media apps. After arriving on the designated places, the victims had been confronted by a person who displayed a gun and compelled them to make digital cash transfers, police stated.
Robberies had been reported on:
- August 13, 2:15 p.m. within the 12400 block of South State Avenue
- August 20, 3:10 a.m. within the 1500 block of West 111th Avenue
- August 20, 4:00 a.m. within the 11800 block of South LaSalle Avenue
CPD didn’t launch an outline of the robber.
In Woodlawn, no less than two victims have been robbed upon arriving to finish on-line market gross sales. As a substitute of assembly consumers, they encountered two armed robbers who took their valuables at gunpoint.
The primary theft on this sample occurred within the 700 block of East 63rd Avenue round 7:30 p.m. on July 27. The opposite holdup was reported within the 6300 block of South Evans at 4:45 p.m. on August 15.
Police described these robbers as two Black males, about 16 to 18 years previous, standing 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8, each sporting darkish clothes and armed with a black handgun.
Lastly, in Again of the Yards, supply drivers are being ambushed whereas finishing orders. Police say drivers exited their autos and approached supposed clients on the sidewalk, solely to be confronted with handguns and robbed.
Each robberies occurred within the 4400 block of South Wolcott. First at 10:45 p.m. on August 10 after which at 9:15 p.m. on August 12.
These robbers had been described as Hispanic males, 15 to 18 years previous, about 5-foot-8 and 150 kilos, sporting black masks and wearing darkish clothes.
CPD is urging individuals to make use of additional warning and take into account assembly strangers in police station lobbies.