Uber, Cab Drivers Are Being Distracted And Robbed In The Loop, Police Say
By Kate Shepherd in News on Jan 27, 2016 8:29PM
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Police are warning taxi and Uber drivers of several recent robberies in the Loop, all in the afternoon or evening.
The offenders have used several different methods to distract drivers in order to steal their cell phones, according to a statement issued by police. They've handed out fliers on the street while an accomplice(s) opened the car's passenger door and grabbed the driver's phone, and they've gotten into empty cabs and stolen the phone while the driver was distracted by another passenger. One offender even pulled out a handgun.
The offenders are described as black men between the ages of 13 and 27 and between 5'01" and 5'08" tall.
The seven incidents reported by police have occurred in the 0-100 block of E. Randolph St. on Dec. 22, in the 100 block of N. State St. on Jan. 2, in the 100 block of N. State St. on Jan. 7, in the 0-100 block of E. Randolph St. on Jan. 7, in the 100 block of N. Michigan Ave. on Jan. 15, in the 100 block of N. Michigan Ave. on Jan. 16 and in the 0-100 block of E. Lake St. on Jan. 19.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Bureau of Detectives - Area Central at (312) 747-8384.