Police issue alert after NW Side convenience store robberies

(Chicago)  Police are warning Northwest Side businesses after several recent convenience store robberies in the Austin, Montclare and Avondale neighborhoods.

In multiple reported robberies between December and January, robbers either implied or displayed a weapon and stole cash or cartons of cigarettes, according to a business alert from Chicago Police.

In two of the robberies, two men started a conversation with an employee and then one of them walked behind the counter, implied he had a weapon and then stole cartons of cigarettes, police said.

A similar scenario occurred in two other robberies, but the suspects displayed a handgun and demanded money from the cash register.

The robberies occurred:

– Dec. 7, 3:20 a.m. in the 6800 block of West North Avenue;

– Jan. 3, 9:12 p.m. in the 2700 block of North Harlem;

– Jan. 8, 1:25 p.m. and Jan. 13, 9:40 a.m. both in the 2900 block of North Pulaski.

In the North Avenue and Harlem robberies, one suspect was a white, 28 to 35-year-old man, 6-foot-1 and 170 to 190-pounds, police said. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black jeans.

The other suspect was a 30 to 36-year-old black man, about 5-foot-10 to 6-foot-2, 220 to 250-pounds with a dark complexion, police said. He was wearing a black, fur lined jacket and black jeans.

In the Pulaski robberies, one suspect was a 20 to 30-year-old man, about 5-foot-9 and 175 pounds with blond hair, police said. He was wielding a handgun and wearing a partial face mask and hooded green jacket with blue jeans.

Anyone with information should contact Area North detectives at (312) 744-8263.

© Copyright 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC