Oak Park police are investigating two armed robberies that occurred last Tuesday and Wednesday nights aboard Blue Line trains near the Austin Boulevard station.
About 12:10 a.m. June 10, an Austin man was accosted by two men, one of whom displayed a chrome semi-automatic handgun. A second man grabbed the victim's backpack, which contained a laptop computer, digital camera, cellphone and a wallet with $120. Total loss was $2,910.
The next night, around 2:45 a.m., a North Riverside man was grabbed from behind in a choke hold. The man said a second attacker displayed a small knife and demanded he empty his pockets. The victim gave up $60 cash, and was then told to walk two cars over without looking back.
No one was hurt in either incident.
Detective Commander Len Jorgenson said the two incidents were separate and likely opportunistic crimes.
"One of the victims said he thought he saw the guys get on at Cicero," said Jorgenson. "We've contacted the CTA to pull surveillance video."
Bill Dwyer
