"I was shocked, honestly," said Cynthia Bednarz, who lives in East Garfield Park. "I've lived here for 24 years and we've never had anything like that happen on our block. We are a tight community.
The crime happened at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, in the 2700-block of West Washington Blvd. It was captured in its entirety on a doorbell security camera.
The footage shows a 61-year-old contractor and a 38-year-old contractor working behind their parked van. They were in the neighborhood to complete a job for a homeowner.
The first gunman then runs up to the men and orders them to get on the ground. A second gunman appears and, while the first attacker keeps his gun pointed at the head of one of the workers, ransacks the victims' truck, looking for any valuables to steal.
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Flooring installer Julio Varon said he was working nearby and said he could have been a victim too.
"It happens to everyone, you know," he said. "I mean, Chicago is getting worse and worse, you know, not even the good areas are not bad areas. It's everywhere. It is not only South Side, the North Side, it's everywhere."
While the robbery lasted only minutes, it has left some of the residents of what they describe as a typically quiet and peaceful neighborhood on edge.
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"Unfortunately, they feel pretty emboldened lately. You could see they moved to doing things in the daytime on a main street. They don't care 'cause they don't really have any consequences anymore," said Eric Honeywood-Burrel, resident.
The two contractors were shaken up but not injured.
Neighbors said after the robbery, the two gunmen ran down the street into the alley where they got into a waiting car. Some of the stolen property may have been found a few blocks away.
Chicago police are still investigating and said no one is currently in custody.