CHICAGO — An outrageous video provided to CWBChicago shows two men attacking and robbing another man as he walks in Bucktown on Monday afternoon.
September 25, 2023 7:36 PM
CWBChicago Bucktown
As of Monday evening, a Chicago police spokesperson said they didn’t have information about the crime because the police report was still being finalized. Here’s what we’ve learned:
The robbery occurred around 2:55 p.m. in the 2000 block of West Dickens.
Surveillance video shows two men milling around the mouth of an alley for a short time before the victim wanders into view. He appears to be enjoying a take-out slice of pizza as he walks past the men.
Suddenly, one of the robbers runs up behind the victim and sucker-punches him from behind. They go to the ground and fight. The second robber joins in, and they drag the victim across the alley, where he falls between some trash cans.
A motorist sitting across the street appears to watch the robbery as it unfolds; they honk their horn, possibly trying to scare the robbers away. It didn’t work.
After getting his True Religion bag, the first robber gives him a swift kick before running away with the accomplice.
Chicago Fire Department paramedics transported the victim to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center for treatment. The nature and severity of his injuries were not available.
Here is the video, should you care to watch it. Be advised that it is violent and contains strong language.
Robberies have skyrocketed in the police district that serves Bucktown this year. They’re up 53% compared to 2022 and up 96% compared to 2019. That’s as of last Sunday, the most recent data available from the Chicago Police Department.
The robbery occurred in the 32nd Ward, which is represented by Ald. Scott Waguespack.
In a recent community meeting, Waguespack seemed unimpressed with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s awareness of the neighborhood’s robbery problem.
“I don’t think he understood the extent of the crimes taking place over the summer,” Waguespack said, according to Block Club Chicago. Johnson “has no comprehension of what’s happening here. He had no comprehension and he had no answers.”
Another alderman representing part of the Shakespeare (14th) Police District and much of Wicker Park, Daniel La Spata, hosted a town hall “honest conversation” about the area’s violent crime problem just a few hours after the mugging was caught on video.
La Spata said the meeting would look at “the need for an urgent and effective response; and the mandate to create lasting investments in the peace and health of our communities to reduce the potential for these crimes in the future.”
https://cwbchicago.com/2023/09/chicago-bucktown-robbery-video-dickens-damen-september-2023.html
