Oak Park crime: Chief voices concern after robberies, carjacking, assault all reported in 1 night

OAK PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- The uptick in armed robberies in Chicago is spilling over to the suburbs, some officials say.

Oak Park saw a string of armed robberies over the weekend in what's been a troubling trend.

The Oak Park chief of police said armed robberies have really been a new trend, especially over the last couple of weeks.

But she said what's more alarming is so many of them happening in just one night.

"I do believe that there's a clear connection between Oak Park and Chicago," Shatonya Johnson said.

At six locations in Oak Park, there were four armed robberies, a carjacking and an aggravated assault that all happened within three hours of each other.

"Crime does not have any limitations. It crosses borders, and that's why we have such a great working relationship with Chicago," Johnson said.

Johnson said the robberies started on the 6000-block of North Avenue, spilling over in Oak Park.

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She said they were armed with a rifle and handgun, stealing purses, phones and cars.

"It's definitely a quick offense," Johnson said. "I would say less than a minute."

While each of the robberies happened in Oak Park, two of the cars used were found in Chicago.

The timeline of events shows the thieves were going back and forth from the city to the suburbs.

"Two, maybe even three, or four to five individuals and one car, that seems a bit unusual," Johnson said.

They believe three to five men were involved in the robberies.

She said there have been 28 armed robberies so far this year.

There were just 31 armed robberies in all of last year.

But the chief is confident the community is still one of the safest places to be.

"If you see something that looks a bit unusual, make the call, and we respond to all calls. We have a relatively quick response time. We will be there," Johnson said.