Man with long-barreled gun accused in 2 NW Side crimes

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A man armed with a long-barreled firearm robbed an ice cream truck driver and carjacked a woman within a few hours on Saturday on the city's Northwest Side, police said.

The first incident was at 4:30 p.m. in the 3000-block of North Sawyer Avenue, where the man robbed an ice cream truck driver.

Witness Gabriel Garza said he saw the man walking before he hit the ice cream truck and he "knew it was a rifle." He passed him and then looked around for him.

"I'm like, 'Where did he go? Where did he go?' Garza said. "He's in the ice cream truck, 'Give me all your money.' And while people are ordering ice cream."

Garza added, "I thought he was going to shoot him."

About four hours later, in a strip mall parking lot in the 2600-block of North Elston Avenue - about a mile and a half away, the man struck again.

Alicia Starling, who works as a private security guard in the parking lot, said the crime took place 15 minutes after the person patrolling that evening had gone off duty. A grocery store was the only businesses left open at that time of night.

"He approached a lady with a shotgun and pointed it at her face and took her vehicle," Starling said.

The woman was not injured. However, the crime rattled some of the customers.

"You get a false sense of security because you're doing the same thing, the same way every time," said shopper Lisa Nash.

The suspect was seen wearing an inside-out maroon/burgundy cardigan sweater over a brown polo shirt and grey sweatpants. He also was wearing a beige floppy fishing hat.

He is described as a black man, between the ages of 25 and 42 years old, and between 5-feet-11-inches and 6-feet-4-inches tall.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911.