A spate of armed robberies took place in the West Loop area of Chicago on Thursday morning, with eight businesses targeted in less than an hour. The incidents occurred between 5:30 and 6:30 a.m., with one additional robbery added to the original seven that were reported. In each incident, two or three males entered the business while one acted as a lookout and another waited in the getaway car. They displayed handguns, demanded money from the register, and took cigarettes from the shelves before fleeing in the car.
The locations of the incidents were as follows: 1500 block of West Madison Street at 5:30 a.m., 0-100 block of North Clinton Street at 5:45 a.m., 500 block of West Grenshaw Street at 5:55 a.m., 900 block of West Washington Boulevard at 5:43 a.m., 200 block of West Jackson Boulevard at 5:49 a.m., 500 block of West Roosevelt Road at 5:59 a.m., and the 3600 block of North Western Avenue at 6:15 a.m. The suspects are described as four to five Black males wearing blue medical gloves, dark hooded sweatshirts, face coverings, and one wearing a maroon winter coat.
In response to these incidents, the Chicago Police Department issued a reminder to businesses to be vigilant, alert neighbors, install surveillance cameras, and report any suspicious activity in the area. Anyone with information can contact the Bureau of Detectives—Area 3 at (312)744-8263 or submit anonymous tips to cpdtip
