Armed robbers victimized University of Chicago community members early Thursday morning, per the first Eric M. Heath security update of 2023. No fewer than three thefts occurred in a span of about ten minutes, reports Heath, UChicago’s associate vice president for safety and security.
Thankfully, a followup email notes that the Chicago Police Department (UCPD) “detained and arrested multiple suspects and have turned them over to the Chicago Police Department (CPD) for processing.”
The Robberies
The first robbery occurred at 12:55 AM on Thursday at 5342 S. Greenwood Avenue, where four armed suspects exited a white sedan to assault and steal from a university faculty member. The suspects reentered their vehicle and fled southbound.
Just south of the first robbery, at 5426 S. Greenwood Avenue, two armed individuals exited a white sedan and demanded property from four students before fleeing southbound at 12:56 AM.
Further south, at 1:05 AM, three armed individuals exited a white sedan and demanded property from two students at 1005 E. 60th Street—known by some as Burton-Judson Courts.
Suspects Arrested
According to a security report released later on Thursday, the same white sedan returned to campus at 10:22 AM “and was involved in several additional robberies.” UCPD successfully pursued and apprehended the fleeing suspects, resulting in multiple arrests and the recovery of the white sedan, which someone had previously reported stolen.
The UCPD turned the suspects over to the CPD, which “will determine all applicable charges and present the individual cases to the State’s Attorney when appropriate.”