Cops Hunt for Hampton Inn Gunman

Updated at 4:45 p.m.

are searching for a man who, armed with a gun, robbed the local Hampton Inn this afternoon.

The suspect entered the hotel at 18501 S. North Creek Drive, , shortly after 1:30 p.m. carrying a large weapon, according to a witness who declined to be named Wednesday afternoon. Police described the weapon as a "silver or chrome rifle" in a news release sent at 4:30 p.m.

"The employees surrendered cash and the suspect fled the area," the release said. "There were no reported injuries."

The building is located on the southwest corner near 183rd Street and Harlem Avenue, close to Interstate 80.

Local and state police quickly set up a perimeter in that area, said a secretary at the , who declined to give additional details.

Employees at the hotel adamantly refused to talk to Patch about the robbery shortly before 3 p.m. Lisa Hanebuth, human resources generalist for TMI Hospitality, which owns and manages the local Hampton Inn, declined to comment due to the "seriousness of the incident." 

"We can't make any comments at this time about anything surrounding the incident," she said around 4 p.m. when asked about the well-being of employees. "As more information is gathered or there's more done with the investigation, we might have further comments."

Police said the gunman was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants and a white, plastic mask. He got away with $200, according to a Sun-Times Media report, which cites police scanner traffic.

Tinley police commanders did not return several phone calls seeking additional information and those at the scene deferred to those at the station.

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