Car found, 2 being questioned in North, NW Side robbery spree

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police have found a car and taken two people into custody in connection to a spree of robberies on the North and Northwest sides Saturday into Monday morning, police said.

Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted Monday afternoon that the 24th (Rogers Park) district tactical team recovered a vehicle wanted in connection with the armed robberies. Two juvenile persons of interest were custody for questioning, Guglielmi said.

Police said up to four male suspects driving a black 2005 Nissan sedan with license plate number Q817490 had been approaching people in 11 robberies in two hours in the 17th Police District in the Albany Park neighborhood. Police said the suspects are in their teens or are young adults. Those thefts, police said were among 16 related robberies across the North and Northwest sides between Saturday and Monday morning.

Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the suspects were wearing dark-colored hooded sweatshirts. Superintendent Johnson said that police have surveillance video of some of the incidents.

Police said the first Albany Park robbery involved a pizza delivery driver at 11:45 p.m. Sunday, and the last involved a limousine driver in the 3400-block of West Montrose Avenue at around 5:30 a.m.

Omar Pompa starts selling tamales early in the morning on Montrose and St. Louis avenues and at about 5:30 a.m., he became one of the victims in the armed robbery spree.

"And he said 'Gimme all the money, I got a gun. Gimme all the money or I'm gonna kill you' and so I said, 'Oh, take it,'" Pompa said.

His friend, Jose Campos was robbed too, with a knife to his stomach. Campos said they put their hands in his pocket and took his money.

The robbers were on a crime spree, robbing people on the street or in their cars. Officers ran from call to call, hunting for at least four robbers in a black stolen Nissan.

"One was like maybe 17/19 years old the other two maybe like 16," Pompa said.

Shortly after Omar Pompa and Jose Campos were robbed, just feet away in an alley parking lot, a limousine driver was also targeted. He struggled with one of them, and they were unable to get away with his Mercedes.

Meanwhile police at the 17th District have a gun used in one of the robberies. It was taken away by a victim who turned it in to officers.