During the last weekend of January, two armed robberies of seven teens in La Grange and La Grange Park shocked residents in the area and the student community. No one was injured in either incident. Both villages’ police departments are investigating and have taken measures to improve the area’s safety.

“Any time there is a high level crime in our area, all local towns combine resources to assist each other,” La Grange Park Police Chief Ed Rompa said. “We’ve been working together to put both incidents to proper closure.”

The first incident took place at about 9:15 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 29 near Cossitt Avenue and Spring Avenue in La Grange. Two men on foot approached two LT junior boys with firearms and demanded their money and phones. After the teens handed over their possessions, they ran to North Campus to call police as the robbers ran away. Tessa Dougherty ‘16 lives at the same corner and has seen how the incident has changed the area.

“I couldn’t believe it had happened,” Dougherty said. “The police have been canvassing the area and been very active. It’s definitely different now when you walk around here.”

The next day, Saturday Jan. 30, three men approached four juveniles (also LT students) at Brewster and Kensington in La Grange Park around 8:30 p.m., again showing firearms and demanding cash and cell phones. The juveniles surrendered their phones and cash, and reported the crime to the nearby La Grange Park Police Department after the men fled on foot. News releases from both communities called the robberies “very similar.”

The investigation continues with neighborhood interviews, reviewing potential evidence and following leads, Rompa said. In addition, the Chicago Tribune reported increased patrols in both visible and unmarked vehicles, the addition of “hire-back” officers for stronger police presence and further review of “several hours” of business surveillance video.

A La Grange news release also said that there are several other investigative activities in progress that they cannot report on. LT has been working with the police departments on measures to keep students safe, Student Resource Officer Ken Uher said.

“The increased patrols will be indefinite,” Uher said. “Any time there’s a serious incident, we have this increased presence in reaction, to prevent it from happening again and to find the people who perpetrated it.”

Both police departments reported the offenders as black males between 18 and 20 years old. In the La Grange incident, one offender was described as about 6-feet tall with a slim build and gray hooded sweatshirt while the other was described as 5-feet 9-inches tall with a heavy build, dreadlocks and a dark jacket. The La Grange Park report described one offender as 6-feet tall with an athletic build and black coat, another as 6-feet tall with a thin build and black hoodie with jeans and a third only as wearing a black hoodie with black pants.

The La Grange Police Department asks residents to be vigilant when in less populated areas of the village, and for anyone with information to call them at (708) 579-2333.

“[To stay safe,] have an awareness of your general surroundings,” Uher said. “Just watching each other’s backs and traveling in groups is the way to go.”