Police: Robbers used dating site to lure victims in Lawndale

Robbers who lured victims with an online dating site struck three times in one hour early Tuesday in the Lawndale neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

In each incident, the suspects lured victims by pretending to be a female on the dating site “Meet Me,” according to a statement from Chicago Police. When the victims showed up, a group of males approached them, displayed a handgun, beat them and took their property, including two vehicles.

The first robbery occurred about 3:30 a.m. in the 1900 block of South Keeler, while two others happened about 4:30 a.m. a block south in the 4200 block of West Cullerton, police said. The suspects were described as a group of two to six males between 15 and 25 years old, standing 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-1 and weighing 140–170 pounds.

The vehicles stolen in the robberies included a blue 2007 Chevrolet Aveo with an Illinois license plate of Q517134 and a black 2001 Hyundai Elantra with an Illinois license plate of S728176, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Area Central detectives at (312) 747-8382.