File Photo – Waukegan Police Department | Photo: Woo-Sung Shim / Lake and McHenry County Scanner

Police are investigating at least five armed carjackings where gunmen robbed victims of their vehicles and belongings in Waukegan this week.

The armed vehicular hijacking incidents occurred between Tuesday and Friday.

Two suspects stole a vehicle at approximately 11:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 2500 block of Village Park Drive in Waukegan.

The victim was retrieving an item from their parked vehicle when the two suspects, who were wearing masks and dressed in black, approached the victim on foot and demanded the keys to the vehicle, police said.

One suspect pointed a handgun at the victim. The suspects took the keys and fled with the victim’s vehicle.

The suspects appeared to have been dropped off by another vehicle driving through the parking lot.

On Wednesday, two suspects stole a vehicle around 6:15 p.m. in the 900 block of South Lewis Avenue in Waukegan.

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The victim was sitting in their parked vehicle when two suspects, one wearing a mask, approached on foot.

The suspects demanded the victim’s keys. One suspect pointed a handgun at the victim and pulled the victim out of the car before the suspects fled with the victim’s vehicle, police said.

The suspects appeared to have been dropped off by another vehicle in the parking lot.

Just 15 minutes later, two suspects stole a vehicle in the 900 block of North Green Bay Road in Waukegan.

The victim was exiting their parked vehicle when two suspects, both armed with handguns, approached on foot.

They forcefully took the victim’s purse and then fled with the victim’s vehicle.

The suspects appeared to have been dropped off by another vehicle in the parking lot, police said.

Around 11 p.m. the same night, two suspects stole a vehicle in the 2500 block of Washington Street in Waukegan.

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The victim was sitting in their parked vehicle when a suspect, armed with a handgun, approached on foot and told the victim to exit the vehicle.

The suspect fled in the victim’s vehicle. The suspect appeared to have been dropped off by another vehicle in the parking lot.

In all four robberies, the victims described the suspects as being men in their late teens or early 20s. The suspects were both masked and unmasked.

A fifth incident occurred before 7 p.m. Friday near Glen Flora Avenue and Lewis Avenue in Waukegan. A driver’s BMW was stolen at gunpoint, according to an alert broadcasted to area police departments.

The Waukegan Police Department said they are continuing to investigate whether the incidents are connected based on information provided by the victims.

Anyone with information on the carjackings is asked to call the Waukegan Police Department’s tip line at 847-360-9001.

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Police said they are asking residents to use safety strategies and maintain awareness while entering or exiting vehicles.

If exiting a vehicle, park in a well-lit, high-visibility area, remain in your locked vehicle and observe your surroundings prior to exiting.

If entering a vehicle, observe your vehicle and its surroundings from a distance before approaching.

Residents are urged to call 911 if they observe any pattern of behavior similar to the above robberies.