Four heavily armed men confronted and robbed an off-duty police officer Monday night in Chicago.
The 33-year-old off-duty officer was getting out of his car when a black Nissan pulled up and four unnamed assailants armed with guns and rifles came out of the car while demanding the officer’s property, the Chicago Sun Times reported. (RELATED: Shocking Video Shows Two Suspected Muggers Apparently Beat And Rob Man In Broad Daylight)
The officer complied with the demands and even handed over his badge to the robbers who jumped back into the car and sped away, the outlet noted. The officer was not harmed, the outlet reported.
In the space of three hours Monday night in Chicago, at least eight other persons were robbed at gunpoint, Fox 32 reported. The cars used for these quick heists varied between being a blue and black sedan, the outlet noted. In all cases there were no reported injuries, the outlet reported. Police did not comment on whether these string of robberies were connected but only stated that they were investigating them, CBS News reported.
Off-duty Chicago police officer among 9 robbed at gunpoint in Chicago https://t.co/u3jHVB7yif
— FOX 32 News (@fox32news) November 28, 2023
Chicago has been experiencing a crime wave. Compared to 2021, police data reveals that crime has risen in the city by 82 percent as of August 2023. The same data set shows that motor car theft has risen by 223 percent. Crime was already so bad in the city in 2022 that several major corporations like Tyson Foods, Caterpillar, and Citadel announced that they were shutting down their offices in the city and moving out.
“The fact is that there are fewer large companies headquartered in Chicago this year than last year. There are fewer this month than last month … truth is, it’s more difficult for me to recruit a new employee to McDonald’s to join us in Chicago than it was in the past,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski told Fox News after acknowledging that Chicago was in a state of crisis back in Sept. 2022.