Search for Chubby Robber Comes Up Short in Bridgeview: Police

BRIDGEVIEW, IL -- An extensive manhunt for a Bridgeview robbery suspect snarled traffic on Harlem Avenue and evacuated an apartment building for several hours on Thursday afternoon. Vehicles were diverted off Harlem Avenue onto 95th Street as police, SWAT, helicopters and canines looked for a man believed to have robbed a woman in a thrift store parking lot. It is the second such attempt reported at that location in a week.

The incident unfolded about 11:05 a.m. Thursday at 90th Street and Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview. Police said a 31-year-old woman was exiting her vehicle in the north parking lot of the Salvation Army Thrift Store and Donation Center. The woman said she was approached by a male Hispanic. The man shoved her in the shoulder while displaying a black handgun, demanding cash from the woman, according to a Bridgeview Police news release.

Witnesses told officers on the scene that the alleged robber ran from the north parking lot of the Salvation Army parking lot, eastbound across Harlem Avenue. The man is said to have disappeared into the 3-story apartment building. Bridgeview police officers as well as other officers from nearby towns, and members of the Fifth District SWAT Team arrive to set up a perimeter. Residents from some apartment buildings were also evacuated as a precaution.

>>> Heavy Police and SWAT Activity in Bridgeview

Members of the SWAT team searched the interior of the apartment building but could not locate the robbery suspect. The surrounding neighborhood was also canvassed but the suspect could not be found. Harlem Avenue between 87th and 95th Streets was reopened around 3:15 p.m., when the ground search was called off.

The suspect is described by the victim as a male Hispanic in his late thirties with a short, chubby build. He was wearing a cap, blue-striped shirt and black pants. An attempted robbery took place at the same location last week, in which an elderly woman was said to have been held up by another alleged, gun-toting robber. Bridgeview police spokesman Ray Hanania said police could not confirm if it was the same guy.

The investigation is ongoing and police continue to look for the suspect. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Bridgeview Police Department at 708-458-2131.