Surveillance video taken in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago shows two men robbing and beating a man in an alley in broad daylight on Monday afternoon. The robbery was first reported by CWB Chicago which posted the video online. The attack fueled outrage at a community meeting Monday night.
The video shows two men loitering on a street near the alley, then walking down the alley. A lone man eating a slice of pizza passes the two and continues walking unaware that he is about to be sucker punched from behind by one of the men and knocked into a fence, then pummeled by both men. The victim fought back but he was eventually beaten into submission in front of a row of trashcans and was relieved of his backpack and what appears to be a cellphone.
Shortly before 3 o’clock Monday afternoon, two men attacked and robbed another man as he walked down a Bucktown alley. It was caught on video.
(Discretion advised)#Chicago pic.twitter.com/Xl8eCuVwGf
— CWBChicago (@CWBChicago) September 26, 2023
Excerpt from the CWB Chicago report:
An outrageous video provided to CWBChicago shows two men attacking and robbing another man as he walks in Bucktown on Monday afternoon.
As of Monday evening, a Chicago police spokesperson said they didn’t have information about the crime because the police report was still being finalized. Here’s what we’ve learned:
The robbery occurred around 2:55 p.m. in an alley behind the 2000 block of North Damen.
Surveillance video shows two men milling around the mouth of an alley for a short time before the victim, 33, wanders into view. He appears to be enjoying a take-out slice of pizza as he walks past the men.
…Robberies have skyrocketed in the police district that serves Bucktown this year. They’re up 53% compared to 2022 and up 96% compared to 2019. That’s as of last Sunday, the most recent data available from the Chicago Police Department.
The robbery occurred in the 32nd Ward, which is represented by Ald. Scott Waguespack.
WBBM-TV spoke with a witness to the attack (excerpt):
Late Monday, we spoke with a witness who saw it all happen. She was in her car at the time, so she tried honking to deter the attackers – but the attackers kept doing what they were doing.
The witness said she stayed on scene with the victim while police came. She said he was a little bruised, but doing OK Monday night.
Chicago Police late Monday were still investigating the crime. There were no arrests to report.
WFLD-TV reported the attack just added to the outrage residents are feeling about crime (excerpt):
Chicago residents erupt at community safety meeting after uptick in violent robberies
Residents were invited to a town hall meeting to learn how local leaders are addressing the issue.
Now, newly released video is only adding fuel to the fire.
…Residents at a community meeting Monday night said they have had enough.
Many were yelling, and one man was even ejected.
The meeting took place in Humboldt Park at an area adjacent to the 14th police district that has reported a spike in robberies this year compared to last.
