LAKEVIEW — Two popular North Side bars and their patrons were robbed by gunmen within an hour of each other early Saturday, several hours after a liquor store employee exchanged gunfire with armed robbers late Friday in Humboldt Park.
The two tavern robberies happened near closing time, the bar owners said.
About 1:15 am Saturday, two gunmen entered AJ Hudson’s Public House, 3801 N. Ashland Ave., police and the bar’s co-owner Julia Shell said.
One of the gunmen jumped over the bar and demanded the bartender open the register while the others gave a 30-second countdown, Shell told Block Club in a text message Monday.
The two robbers took the wallets of six customers, police said. There were about 12 customers at the bar at the time of the robbery, Shell said.
“They were in and out in about 30 seconds,” Shell said. “We have video, but they were completely covered from head to toe, including face masks.”
At 1:54 am Saturday, three masked gunmen stormed into Irish Nobleman, 1367 W. Erie St., shaking down patrons and holding up the register before firing at least one shot at bar owner Declan Morgan, Morgan and police said.
One robber ran behind the counter, forcing bartender Adrian Hernandez to empty the register at gunpoint. Another person robbed the customers standing by the bar while a third stood on lookout by the front door, Hernandez said.
The robbery took place as the bar was preparing to close.
“Literally, we had just turned the lights on, getting people out of here,” Hernandez said. “And that’s when they burst in. He told me, ‘Don’t make me turn the switch on.’ “It was over in two minutes.”
It’s unclear whether a Glock switch, a tool that allows gun owners to illegally convert a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic weapon, was used in the robbery.
No one was wounded, and Area 3 detectives are investigating both robberies, police said.
Nobleman and AJ Hudson’s are the latest taverns to be robbed at gunpoint while customers were inside. In December, Chipp Inn was robbed along with at least 10 customers, marking the second time in recent months the West Town tavern was targeted by armed robbers, according to CBS2. In September, the California Clipper and Rite Liquors were robbed along with their customers on the same night.
During Sunday’s robbery at Irish Nobleman, Morgan rushed out through the back door to get a gun from his nearby home to use for self-defense, he said. The gunmen spotted him making a break for it and shot multiple rounds, hitting Morgan’s cars.
A bullet hole was visible Sunday just above the undercarriage of Morgan’s pickup truck, which was parked across the street from the pub.
“I was mostly worried about my wife, because our living room’s right over here,” said Morgan, who has owned Irish Nobleman for two decades. “A bullet hit the building and fell into the grass.”
Irish Nobleman was one of multiple area bars broken into and burglarized last spring. Its holiday display — which has run afoul of the local alderman — was vandalized close to Christmas 2020, causing thousands in damage.
With the recent instances of crime impacting the business, Morgan said he is unsure if it’s worth it to keep the pub open. Four of his employees quit following the robbery, and Hernandez has started working the day shift. Morgan is now spending $500 a night on security, he said.
“And the city’s raising prices. And now this,” Morgan said. “It’s just getting tougher and tougher.”
Police said they could not confirm whether the robberies were related, but said they would issue a community alert if detectives establish a pattern.
In Humboldt Park, Humboldt Haus liquor store at 2958 W. North Ave. was hit with an attempted robbery Friday at 10:30 pm, officials said.
A 45-year-old employee and co-owner was shot in the hand after he exchanged gunfire with two armed men who entered the store and announced a robbery. He was taken to the hospital in fair condition, police said.
Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th) encourages anyone with information on the incident to contact police at 312-744-8290.
“Your cooperation could make a significant difference in holding those accountable and preventing further harm to our community,” Fuentes said in a https://twitter.com/Ward26Chicago/status/1787526449072611720 Monday.
Humboldt Haus owners did not reply to requests for comment.
Police reported five other armed robberies in less than an hour just after midnight Saturday in the Logan Square, West Town and Wicker Park neighborhoods.
Ariel Parrella-Aureli contributed to this report.
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