Since late October, a burglary crew has rampaged through nearly 20 businesses across several Chicago neighborhoods, as reported by Chicago Sun-Times. The spree includes commercial spaces from the Northwest, Near West, to the Near South Sides. The thieves, described as four to five males donning dark attire, face masks, and gloves, shattered glass doors or windows to intrude and seize cash boxes and registers, then fled in different vehicles, including a black Nissan Altima and a white Infiniti Sedan.
Chicago police highlighted the intensity of the situation, with eight businesses targeted on a single Tuesday and others spread over the last month. Surveillance footage has captured these incidents, which have stirred fears and burdened business owners with costly repairs. "You smash a storefront window; that could be a $30,000 repair," Kate Leydon, owner of the Ruby Room, detailed the financial toll to ABC7 Chicago. She, whose store was looted during the pandemic, expressed the existential threat these crimes pose to small enterprises.
Aldermen are not standing idly by as this crisis unfolds. 36th Ward Ald. Gilbert Villegas acknowledged the challenges faced by the police due to limited manpower and vast patrol areas and is pushing for budgetary measures to help local businesses via subsidies for surveillance equipment. Ald. Villegas stated, according to ABC7 Chicago, "Small businesses are the backbone of this country, and they hire people from around the neighborhoods. And all that activity is local, and those are the things we want."
The most recent burglaries were methodically documented, occurring in the early hours of the morning or overnight, with the last reported spree enveloping a mix of neighborhoods including West Town, Belmont Craigin, and the Near South Side. Leydon advocated for heightened employee awareness to prevent such criminal activities, stating that "once you energetically let go of your space, you become that much more susceptible," Leydon highlighted the physical and emotional impact of such crimes to ABC7 Chicago, "We are truly just like everybody else trying to make it, and do what we love."
Chicago police have urged businesses to report any suspicious activities immediately and to ensure that surveillance cameras are operational. They are requesting anyone with information on the burglaries to contact Area 3 detectives at 312-744-8263 or Area 5 detectives at 312-746-7394, or to submit tips anonymously at CPDTIP.com.
