Two women were robbed and two others were approached by a male suspect in what police said was a highly unusual spate of purse snatchings at the Oakbrook Center on Saturday.
The robber approached the women separately in indoor garages at the mall between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. He punched one victim in the face and sprayed another in the face with mace, said Oak Brook Police Chief Jim Fleming.
The robber, who police believe was the same in all four incidents, took $40 from one victim and an unspecified amount from another victim, Fleming said. It was unclear whether the robber stole any other items.
Fleming said Sunday he researched past incidents of purse snatchings and found that there was only one such incident reported in 1992.
“This is really something that’s fairly unusual in the Oak Brook mall,” he said.
The suspect was described as a male, about 25 years old, 6 feet tall, with a medium dark complexion, short hair and a muscular build. He was wearing dark clothing.