
CHICAGO – A string of violent robberies in Chicago’s River North neighborhood has police urging caution, especially for anyone out early in the morning.
The attackers are targeting people who appear to be intoxicated, and the consequences have turned brutal. Tori Ledezma, who wasn’t intoxicated and was just heading to a Pilates class, was one of the people targeted.
What we know:
Ledzema said she was thrown to the ground by four people wearing ski masks, as she was heading to Pilates at 5:30 a.m. One of the individuals had a gun pointed at her head.
According to police, the crew of Black male offenders, ages 20 to 40, befriend intoxicated citizens before robbing and beating them in the early morning hours.
In Ledzema’s case, she says the suspects took her phone, which had her ID card and credit card. They also took her yoga bag.
RELATED STORY: Police warn of robberies targeting intoxicated victims in River North
“He threw me to the ground. Later found out I sprained my neck from this impact. But the four of them pulled me back up, and they held the gun to my head,” Ledzema said. “There were three guns. They held one to me and then one in either direction of traffic. Not that there really was traffic, and then the driver stayed in the car. But they held the gun to my head and asked me for my password, and then I later found out that this group was looking for people’s cash app. Which is one of the other things they asked me for.”
Chicago police were able to track down the car the suspects used and recover fingerprints. Ledzema’s bag was left in the car.
The backstory:
In at least four separate incidents, police say at least four males approached people that appeared to be intoxicated, then violently attacked and robbed them, using fists and hands to beat them and take their belongings.
The incidents started in June, continuing into July with the latest incident happening on July 6 in the 400 block of North State Street at 2 a.m.
No one is in custody. Chicago police are continuing to search for the suspects.
What you can do:
Anyone with information should contact Area Three Detectives at 312-744-8263 or submit a tip at CPDTIP.com using reference #P25-3-033.
The Source: The information in this article was obtained from Chicago police and victim Tori Ledezma.