Police: 3 robbed in Elgin after online meets

Elgin police say they believe the two men are responsible for three robberies where they met the victims online.

The robberies took place on the 1200 block of Fleetwood Drive, the latest one at 1:30 a.m. Thursday, when police responded to a report of a stabbing, Cmdr. Dan O'Shea said. The other two robberies took place Oct. 23 with no reported injuries, O'Shea said.

Police Thursday found a 37-year-old Elgin man with stab wounds to his upper torso in the parking lot of the apartment complex. The man was taken to Presence Saint Joseph Hospital, where he was treated for injuries that do not appear to be life-threatening.

The victim was meeting someone with whom he made contact through an online dating service, police said. After arriving, the victim was robbed and stabbed.

About 5 p.m. Oct. 23, a person arranged to sell an iPhone 6 through a mobile app called OfferUp. The victim met a man described as black, about 6 feet tall and 170 pounds with short dreadlocks, who took the phone and fled, a police report states.

About 8 p.m. Oct. 23, a man by the same description took two self-balancing scooters from someone he also met through the OfferUp app, a police report says.

In both instances, the robber may have had accomplices who seemed to create disruptions, police reports indicate.

"They met the victims online, whether that be for property or dating services. Then when the victims show up, they were robbed," O'Shea said. "We believe it's the same M.O. (modus operandi) and the same offender."

Elgin detectives are asking anyone with information to call the major investigations division at (847) 289-2600.

Anonymous tips and information can be submitted via the crime line at (847) 695-4195 or by texting 847411 and including ELGINPD in the beginning of the text, along with the message.