In the 9th District (Deering) of Chicago, business owners and employees find themselves on edge as a string of thefts continues to plague the community.
Recent incidents bear a pattern – individuals enter the store, bring an item up to the counter as if they intend to purchase it, and then swiftly leap over the counter to snatch money from the open cash register when the cashier unsuspectingly opens it for the transaction according to the Chicago Police Department (CPD).
The incidents have been occurring during evening hours, and several installations have been targeted more than once at different locations in the district, such as on South Wentworth Avenue and South Archer Avenue.
Descriptions of the offenders have been consistent across all incidents: two to five African American males, aged 15 to 20 years old. Restaurants, along with various local businesses, have been targeted in these crimes throughout August and September 2023.
Investigations are currently underway to apprehend the individuals responsible for these thefts.
