WAUKEGAN — It used to be you would lose your wallet and other valuables during a robbery. But now, in some cases, you may have to lose your clothes as well.There were two such cases in Waukegan recently where after being robbed the victims were told to remove clothing. The action apparently is a delay tactic because the victim has to get dressed before reporting the holdup to police.
“I’d assume it is to distract the victim,” said Waukegan Police Cmdr. Gabriel Guzman, noting that after talking to other officers, it does not appear to be a trend in the city.
“Other than the two (incidents), I know of no other robberies like that,” he said.
On July 24, two men reported to police that three men robbed them and made them undress before fleeing with their wallets and $3.
The men said they were walking down the alley at 7 a.m. in the 700 block of Walnut Street when a group of 16- to 20-year-old Negros approached them and demanded money.
The victims said they didn’t have any money and one assailant took out a gun and hit one of the victims with the butt of the weapon. After taking their wallets and $3, the man with the gun told them to remove their shirts, pants, shoes and socks before fleeing the scene, police said.
A resident reported July 24 he was inside his vehicle when he was approached by four males who ordered him out. They took his wallet and cellphone and ordered him to take his pants off. Then one assailant fired two shots in the air with a 22-caliber handgun. Police recovered two live rounds at the scene. The investigation is ongoing in both cases.
Police cautioned there really isn’t anything you can do as a victim other than comply, especially if robbers display a gun or other weapon.
