At least five gunpoint robberies took place in the area between Locust Street and Baltimore Avenue and 46th and 50th Streets over the weekend and police are looking for the suspects, according to tweets by Joe Murray of the Southwest Police Detectives.
The robberies happened on the 4700 block of Hazel Ave (on Friday around 8:30 p.m.), 4900 block of Locust St (on Friday, around 9 p.m.), 4800 block of Osage Ave (on Saturday, around 9:20 p.m.), 4600 block of Baltimore Ave (on Saturday, around 10 p.m.), and 4800 block of Larchwood Ave (on Sunday, around 6:10 p.m.), according to the Crime Reports map. There was also a robbery on the 4600 block of Locust St on Saturday at about 8:40 p.m. (see map image), but it’s not clear whether a gun was involved.
There are no more details available at this time. We’ll post more information when we have it.
November 5th, 2013 at 4:32 pm
I already posted this in the forums, but there were gunshots last night around 7pm at 49th & Walnut, and apparently cops arrested someone… However neighbors once again heard gunshots on the block at 11am this morning. Several of us have reached out to Detective Murray as well as Sergeant Washington but have not been followed up with.
Doubt it’s at all related to the robberies, but just so people are informed… 😛
November 5th, 2013 at 4:36 pm
there was one on 46th and baltimore around 3 AM Saturday night/Sunday morning as well. quite a rash. sucks.
November 5th, 2013 at 5:22 pm
Is this related to the last bout of gun point robberies/sexual assault in the same area a few weeks back?
November 5th, 2013 at 6:07 pm
is there any explanation for why this feels like a rise in gun-related violence in the cedar park area? was it underreported before or is something happening to intensify it?
November 5th, 2013 at 6:15 pm
Unrelated Q except in the sense that it’s about making the neighborhood safer:
Why does the community continue to tolerate Omar constantly harassing people on the street at 45th and Locust?
November 5th, 2013 at 9:44 pm
because Omar is white.
November 7th, 2013 at 3:30 pm
Yes, THIS! He could not get away with acting the way he does if he were black. I suspect neither residents nor the police would be as tolerant as they are of him. And while I think Omar is *basically* harmless (he is little more than the the town fool) it is a long time annoyance of mine that he is encouraged by so many younger people because they think it’s cool or something. But really he’s an inveterate alcoholic who needs help, not encouragement to be a nuisance.
Ach, I officially sound like an old lady. Also, get off my lawn :).
November 6th, 2013 at 10:24 am
IMO, Omar is harmless. How is he a threat to neighborhood safety? To the contrary, I think having a daily presence of someone like Omar on the streets actually helps to deter exactly the sort of crimes mentioned in this article. So for those of you who don’t like Omar on your block, tell him to hang out more often around 46th & Baltimore, or any of the areas in the Cedar Park neighborhood that are getting hit with gunpoint robberies.
November 6th, 2013 at 2:11 pm
I agree with previous neighbor’s reply: Omar is not only harmless, but beneficial to the safety of the neighborhood by being a constant set of eyes, noise, and presence on the corner. Yes, he is often intoxicated and probably quite intimidating to those who aren’t familiar with him, but I have witnessed him actively halt multiple attempted bike thefts on that corner. Detriment to neighborhood safety? Not Omar.
November 6th, 2013 at 6:47 pm
I agree that there are bigger crime issues in the neighborhood than Omar.
That said, Omar bit one of the kids who plays ball on the corner the other day.
He. Bit. A. Kid.
He also stands in traffic and pretends to aim a gun at passersby. And he has threatened me personally before for the crime of walking down the street. A bike was stolen from my porch two doors down from the Green Line – on a night that he was out and about. I understand that having an extra pair of eyes helps, but not if he drives other people inside because they cannot sit on their own porches without being yelled at or threatened.
I think we can’t really say that Omar does anymore to deter crime than having two (formerly three) businesses at that corner. But I can say for sure that I have seen him cause traffic problems, yell at people, and hang out on my steps drunk at 10am.
November 7th, 2013 at 2:03 pm
Omar can be intimidating even to people that are familiar with him. He LOVES dogs, and would stop and make a huge fuss over our puppy (who he knew by name). This was totally fine during the day, but at night it was really scary for the pup and he would back away and try to hide behind me. Rather than move on, Omar would not leave us alone and shushed me every time I tried to explain that we needed to get back inside. I know intellectually that Omar wouldn’t hurt me… but at night, on that block (which, as others have noted, has bigger issues) it did not feel safe or OK.
November 6th, 2013 at 2:40 pm
I live in ground zero for omar territory (between 44th and 45th on locust) and while he can be ungodly annoying he is completely harmless. On top of that he keeps an eye out on the neighborhood. If anyone is acting shady he will call them out immediately and robbers dont want that kind of attention.
November 7th, 2013 at 12:43 pm
There is a new guy hanging out around the gas station on 46th and Walnut. He also wanders around. I saw him at Green Line on Monday. Is this the same guy? He’s really annoying, because he asks EVERYONE for something. One time he got me as I was carrying stuff out my front door.
I feel bad for the guy if he’s genuine. He has asked both for money and food. However I wish he wouldn’t walk around begging every single person he sees.
November 6th, 2013 at 10:03 am
Perhaps we should start a neighborhood foot patrol. Also, where are the community safety officers? I’ve noticed fewer of them riding their bikes in the evenings. (I often see them inside local businesses in large groups). I think the criminals are noticing this too.
November 6th, 2013 at 11:09 am
i’ve noticed this phenomenon too. Are community safety officers only paid to protect the commercial investments?
November 7th, 2013 at 9:09 am
I live on Larchwood and there was a very clear police presence last night as I walked home (between 7-8pm) . A patrol car came down my street no less than 3 times in about 10 min or so… and while i am thankful for the patrol it made me much more uneasy about being outside my house after dark.
November 10th, 2013 at 9:31 am
There was another armed robbery on Saturday November 9th at ~9AM at 50th and Chancellor. He is still out there. Pay Attention and alert others in the area.