Last week there were two nighttime robberies of bike riders on the Lakefront Trail on the Near North Side within two hours of each other. Yesterday there was a third attack on a cyclist on the lakefront near Buckingham Fountain, this time during the evening rush.
At about 5:50 p.m. on Tuesday, August 6, police responded to a report of a robbery in the 500 block of South Columbus and were told that a group of male offenders pushed a man off a Divvy bike and robbed him, according to Officer Jessica Alvarez from Police News Affairs. Police attempted to help the victim, but he declined medical assistance and did not wish to fill out a police report.
Alvarez added that the offenders, who fled west through the park, were described to the 911 call-taker as a teenage boy with wavy hair and a red shirt, who was the main attacker, and three other males.
The first of the two attacks last week too place on Tuesday, July 30 on the Lakefront Trail near Oak Street, when a 44-year-old man standing with his bicycle was approached by three unknown offenders on foot and struck in the face. The offenders then took the victim’s bicycle and belongings. The suspects are all described as males, 19-21 years old, 5’4″-5’9″, weighing 155-165 pounds.
And at 11:20 p.m. that night, officers responded to a robbery call from the shoreline path near North Avenue. A 40-year-old woman said that as she was biking south on the trail, she was approached by roughly five males and pushed her off her bike. The offenders then took the bicycle and other personal property before fleeing. Officers later saw two males with the victim's bike and took them into custody, but she stated that they weren't her assailants, so they were released.
No one is in custody for any of these attacks.
