Police warn of strong-arm robberies on Near West Side

Police are cautioning Near West Side residents after a pair of strong-arm robberies over the last three days in the East Village and Noble Square neighborhoods.

A man has walked up to people on the street and taken their purse or backpack, in two incidents that happened:

• about 11 p.m. Thursday in the 1400 block of West Walton and
• about 3 a.m. Saturday in the 1100 block of North Wood.

The robber was described as a black man with dreadlocks between 18 and 28 years old, weighing between 130 and 170 pounds, according to a community alert from Chicago Police. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, police said.

Anyone with information should call Area Central detectives at (312) 747-8382.