CHICAGO, IL – Police have warned residents in Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood to be cautious when using dating social media apps following a string of robberies that have taken place in recent months.
The Chicago Police Department reports that at least nine incidents of robbery have occurred in the neighborhood, where victims agreed to meet someone on a dating app and were instead attacked by two to three male African American offenders who robbed them of their property.
The most recent incident occurred on April 28, 2023, in the 1800 block of South Spaulding at around 12:20 PM. During this incident, a victim was robbed of their property and was battered, suffering minor injuries.
In several of the incidents, which took place between March 6 and April 22, a handgun was used, and the victim was tied up with duct tape.
The offenders demanded the victim’s banking and credit card information and forced them to surrender their property. In one case, the second offender went to the ATM to retrieve cash from the victim’s account while the female victim was tied down.
Chicago police are warning residents to be cautious when agreeing to meet with someone they have only met online and are advising that they arrange to meet in public locations, such as a police station. They are also urging residents to remember any unique physical characteristics of their date and to dial 911 immediately if they feel threatened.
Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the offenders, who are described as two to three male African Americans aged between 25 and 29 years old, with a height of between 5’09” and 5’11”. Anyone with information regarding these incidents should contact Area Four Detectives at 312-746-8253.