- Credibility:
CHICAGO — A group of men are pretending to sell loose cigarettes on the CTA and then attacking would-be buyers, police said.
In two recent incidents, the men went up to victims on CTA property — including once on a Red Line train — and asked the victims for a light or tried to sell them loose cigarettes, according to a Chicago Police community alert. The men then attacked the victims and stole from them.
The robberies occurred:
- 1:55-2 a.m. July 21 in the first block of West 69th Street
- 2:50 p.m. Friday in the 6600 block of South State Street
The attackers were described as three men who were 20-25 years old, 5-foot-5 to 6-foot-2 and 150-200 pounds, police said. One man had an afro and another had a fade.
Anyone with information about the robberies was asked to call police at 312-747-8380.