Andrew Hertzberg
Last Friday evening at around 6:15 p.m., five men stole a car from a Bucktown resident.
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Surveillance footage from a nearby condo recorded the crime. According to a spokeswoman for the Chicago Police Department, one of the offenders showed a gun as he approached the victim.
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The gunman demanded the keys and that’s when four other men approached the victim as well.
Police are still investigating the crime.
The carjacking took place near the Bloomingdale Trail on the 1700 block of North Winnebago. Later that evening, a cyclist was assaulted as he was riding on the trail itself in the area.
According to DNAInfo, cyclist Juan-Carlos Parker was riding on the trail around 10:00 p.m. when he was attacked around Wood Street, about half a mile east of the carjacking.
Two men jumped out at Parker and pushed him off his bike. A third man joined in the attack and used a knife to slice open Parker’s pockets to steal his wallet and cell phone. The attackers stole his bike and bag as well.
This attack happened a week after police issued a community alert after three other attacks happened on the trail in July at various times of day and different locations on the trail.
No one is currently in custody for any of the crimes. The trail says their hours are 6 a.m. – 11 p.m. every day, but cycling advocates argue that it should be open twenty-four hours a day and that more people using the trail at all hours would keep the trail safer.
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No matter when you are enjoying the trail, remember to remain vigilant of your surroundings and report any crimes to authorities immediately.
