Londo Mondo store robbed in Lincoln Park, suspect sought

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Police are searching for an armed robber who targeted a popular Lincoln Park boutique. Now, two women who came face-to-face with him are wondering if he's the same man who stabbed a woman during a mid-day boutique robbery in Bucktown last week.

Police are not linking the two robberies at this point, but employees at both stores seem convinced.

Employees at Londo Mondo said a man walked into the Lincoln Park store around 1 p.m. Wednesday. They say he was presumably shopping for his girlfriend - until it was time to pay.

"Just in that split second he is right next to me grabbing me, knife against my side, demanding money," said Katherine Walton-Myers, robbery victim.

Walton-Myers stayed calm but raised her voice, knowing her co-worker was in the back of the store.

"I knew something was terribly wrong, so I grabbed one of the phones and I called 911," said Vicky Freyre, a Londo Mondo employee.

Up front, the robber took the money but wanted more.

"And at that point, I said, 'We don't have a safe, there is no safe. There is nothing here.' He said, 'Let's go to the back,'" Walton-Myers said.

Freyre, who was still on the phone with 911, stepped outside but came back in.

"As soon as he saw me, he freaked and ran out the door," Freyre said.

The employees say this case is similar to a robbery last week at The Green Goddess Boutique on Damen.

"I would say that I'm 99.9% certain that these incidents are related," Freyre said.

In the meantime, the Lincoln Park Merchants Association is being proactive.

"We are very protective of our neighborhoods and our stores, and we plan on staying that way," said Martha Hofert, president of the Lincoln Park Merchants Association.

The Londo Mondo employees are grateful and speaking out for a reason.

"I really hope this never happens to anyone else again," Walton-Myers said.

Police have only vague descriptions of the suspect, but the women said the man had a goatee and was wearing a hoodie, light jeans and light shoes.

A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the suspect's arrest and conviction.