Recently, two women in Chicago’s Hyde Park area have been relieved of their cell phones by one, possibly more, robbers. Both incidents occurred on the afternoon of April 6, 2023. The women had their cell phones in their hands when the bandit swiped the device from them.
Cell Phone Thieves
One of the victims was punched in the face by the robber. The thefts occurred on East 55th Street near South Cornell around 2 p.m., and then on South Harper near 54th Street.
This is not the first time the Hyde Park neighborhood has been victimized by cell phone-stealing bandits. Three victims had their cellular devices taken from them in February. In those incidents, the robbers either fled on foot or by a vehicle that was nearby waiting.
The vehicle used in those robberies was a blue Nissan Sentra.
Police stated that the three cell phone thefts occurred:
- In the 5100 block of South Cornell Avenue on February 3.
- On February 16 in the 1600 block of Hyde Park Boulevard.
- In the 1700 block of East 55th Street on February 21.
Be on the Lookout
The first two robberies happened at 3 p.m. with the last one occurring just before 6 p.m. In each case, the victims described the perpetrators as men between the ages of 20 and 25. They were unable to see the men’s facial features due to them wearing black ski masks.
Chicago Police Department is advising people to use extra precautions while walking around with their cell phones. Furthermore, people should try to be observant of those around them and attempt to keep their phones close to them but not visible.
February’s cell phone stealing bandits case is being investigated by Area One detectives. Anyone with information about those cases or the most recent ones can call 312-747-8384.
By Sheena Robertson
Sources:
ABC 7 Chicago: Thieves stealing cell phones are targeting pedestrians in Hyde Park, CPD says
Fox News: Chicago police warn women about walking around with cell phones in their hands after two robberies
Top and Featured Images Courtesy of Marco Verch Professional Photographer‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of ClaraDon‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
