The village of Oak Park, a Chicago suburb, experienced four armed robberies in under an hour on Oct. 19, 2020. “In each instance, the offender was seen fleeing the scene after committing the individual robberies in a silver sports utility vehicle (SUV),” according to Wednesday Journal. In three of the four altercations, the victims were Oak Park residents.
At 5:45 p.m. CDT, a village resident was approached by a man wearing dark pants and a dark hoodie. The assailant brandished a weapon and demanded the resident’s belongings; two cell phones and a wallet — approximate value reported as $650. After taking the items, the culprit fled in SUV described above. The vehicle was last seen driving westbound on South Boulevard.
The second robbery took place 23 minutes later — 6:08 p.m. A man dressed in a gray hoodie and jeans carrying a gun took the victim’s wallet. The value of the loss was not provided. According to police reports, a “small silver-colored SUV with tinted windows” drove off, moving west on Lake Street.
At 6:13 p.m., a third person was accosted. A man in dark pants and a gray hoodie intercepted his victim in the 100 block of North Harvey Avenue. Gun in hand, he demanded the resident’s belongings — a cell phone and wallet valued at $1,100. As reported in the previous two robberies, the criminal departed in a silver SUV, but this victim offered more information. They state the SUV was a newer model, perhaps a Toyota or Lexus. The vehicle was last seen moving north on Harvey Avenue.
The fourth robbery of the spree took place at 6:42 p.m. in the 600 block of Scoville Avenue. In this case, the victim is an Acworth, Georiga resident. The assailant brandished his gun and grabbed the victim’s purse. The contents are valued at about $350. He took off in a gray-colored SUV traveling north on Scoville Avenue.
While the Oak Park police have not confirmed whether they believe these robberies are related, all of the victims report the suspect is a Black man. However, their other observations vary slightly — his height varies; one victim reports he is 5-feet-10-inches, others indicate he is one to three inches shorter. He was described as having a thin build in one report, whereas another stated he has a medium frame. Only one report mentioned the age of the suspect — approximately 20 years old. The fourth victim did not offer a description beyond the assailant’s gender as male.
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Source:
Wednesday Journal: Oak Park has four armed robberies in 45 minutes; Stacey Sheridan
Featured Image Courtesy of C. Holmes’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of debaird’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
