WICKER PARK — Police are warning Wicker Park residents to be on alert after five armed robberies near the Polish Triangle over the past six weeks.
Four of the robberies took place in the 1200 block of North Ashland Avenue, according to a community alert issued Tuesday by police. One of the robberies occurred about a block away in the 1300 block of North Paulina Street, police said.
In each of the robberies, men with guns walked up to victims, told them to “give me the money” and demanded wallets, money, jewelry and phones, according to the alert. Each occurred in the early morning.
The robberies:
- 3:30 a.m. Sept. 11 in the 1300 block of North Paulina Street
- 3:40 a.m. Sept. 18 in the 1200 block of North Ashland Avenue
- 4:05 a.m. Sept. 25 in the 1200 block of North Ashland Avenue
- 3:47 a.m. Oct. 16 in the 1200 block of North Ashland Avenue
- 2:15 a.m. Oct. 23 in the 1200 block of North Ashland Avenue
The community alert follows a spree of armed robberies Sunday in the Humboldt Park area and several earlier this month in Logan Square and Bucktown.
Robberies have reached a five-year high in the 14th Police District and the 12th Police District, according to police data.
The 14th District has seen 290 robberies this year, compared to 253 during the same period last year and 193 in 2020, while the 12th District has recorded 442 robberies, compared to 381 last year and 348 in 2020, data shows .
Anyone with information is encouraged to call detectives at 312-746-7394.