Belleville police are investigating four armed robberies and one drive-by shooting

Belleville police are investigating four armed robberies and one drive-by shooting that have occurred in the past week but have resulted in no arrests.
The latest was reported at 12:17 a.m. Tuesday in the 100 block of North High Street near downtown Belleville.
A man's trip to take out the trash took a bad turn when he encountered a 21-year-old acquaintance and an unknown man who were waiting for him. The unknown man pulled out a gun and pointed it at the victim's head. He then ordered the victim to empty his pockets and stole his cell phone.

The armed suspect then told the victim to take him to the victim's "crib." The victim, instead, took the man to a different apartment. When no one answered the door, the suspect shot the victim once in the leg and fled the scene.
The bullet traveled though the bottom of the doorway into another apartment. No other injuries were reported and the shooting victim was treated and released from an area hospital.
No further description of either suspect was released by police.
Meanwhile, a passenger in a white vehicle was spotted shooting out of the passenger side window about 4 p.m. Monday in the area of Bellevue Park. That vehicle had been chasing a silver vehicle around the park.
Witnesses said they heard eight to nine shots fired and described the shooter as a man in a white shirt.
"Fortunately, no injuries or damages were reported to us," Capt. Don Sax said.
Several people in the area of the park were interviewed but no one has been arrested in that case and no further descriptions of the suspect or suspects were released.
Police have released few details about the shootings and the other armed robberies.
Sax did not know of any connections between the cases.
"Obviously (the incidents) put us on edge," Sax said. "(But) the detectives have an incredibly high solvability rate."
The other unsolved cases include:
* April 21: Two men forced a woman into her home at gunpoint in the 1100 block of Lilac and robbed her just before 1 p.m. The suspects were only described as black males, one wearing a jogging suit and another wearing a dark hoodie and blue jeans. They escaped in a Jeep Liberty.
* Saturday: A man was robbed at gunpoint just before midnight while sitting in his gold 2001 Mitsubishi Galant on the east side of McDonald's at 7301 Westfield Plaza Drive. The two suspects were described as males he knew from childhood. They drove off with the victim's car.
* Sunday: A man was robbed at gunpoint by two men between the ages of 18 and 20 while he was parked in Kmart's parking lot at 7230 Westfield Plaza. A cell phone and credit cards were stolen.