CHICAGO — Two employees of a popular concert venue on the North Side were robbed moments after departing work, leaving staffers and the owner stunned by the incident.
“We’re just glad everyone is safe,” said Ray Quinn, the owner of Martyrs’ on Lincoln Avenue in the city’s North Center neighborhood.
A popular place to enjoy live music, the venue had been closed for nearly three hours before the alleged robbery.
A couple of the employees – a man and a woman – left the premises around 4 a.m. Sunday after helping clean up after a concert. The man and woman were walking around the corner onto Byron Street when a sedan pulled up.
As the man and woman headed east on Byron Street, four guys from inside the vehicle exited with guns drawn. WGN News was told that one of the armed men struck one of the victims with the weapon before stealing everything the pair had on them.
“They took their cellphones, a purse, and all their belongings,” Quinn said.
The suspects then sped off as the victims raced back to Martyrs’.
“They were just upset by it, and they just relayed what happened, and we called the police,” Quinn said.
Quinn says it took at least a few 911 calls and about 35 minutes before police could respond.
“The armed assailants took off pretty quickly, so everyone was inside and safe and very upset, but it wasn’t really an emergency situation at that moment,” Quinn said.
Chicago police confirmed that the incident occurred in the 1900 block of Bryon Street in CPD’s 19th Police District.
The marquee outside now reads: “End Crime.”
“We want to make people aware that they need to be nicer to each other,” Quinn said. “There’s a lot happening, but we’re hoping for improvement and a good, safe summer.”
