7-Eleven robberies escalate — 3 more Friday make at least a dozen this week

Three 7-Eleven stores were robbed at gunpoint minutes apart on the North and Northwest sides early Friday, bringing to at least 12 the number of 7-Eleven stores hit this week in Chicago.

The first robbery Friday occurred around 1:50 a.m. in the 1500 block of West Lawrence Avenue in Uptown. Two gunmen entered the store and demanded the clerk open the cash register, police said. The clerk complied and the robbers fled in a blue SUV.

About 10 minutes later, two gunmen entered a store in the 1400 block of West Montrose Avenue in Uptown, about a half-mile away, police said. They ordered the clerk to open the register, he complied, and the robbers fled in a black sedan.

Around 2 a.m., two gunmen entered a store in the 3000 block of North Pulaski Road in Belmont Gardens, police said. They told the clerk to open the register, he complied, and the robbers fled.

No injuries were reported, and no one was in custody.

At least five armed robberies were reported at 7-Eleven stores on the North and West sides early Wednesday, and four other stores were hit Monday.