A crew of thieves drove a dark-colored Jeep straight into a Portage Park 7-Eleven just before 5 a.m. Thursday, then rushed inside, hauled out an ATM and took off in a second vehicle, leaving the Jeep behind. No injuries were reported, but the early-morning hit left the shop with shattered glass and a hastily boarded-up storefront while detectives fanned out to look for surveillance video and witnesses.
Chicago police said the crash happened in the 5600 block of West Irving Park Road, where a group got out of the Jeep, entered the store and removed the ATM before fleeing in another car. Area detectives are investigating, as reported by CBS Chicago.
Where It Happened
The store at the center of the smash-and-grab is listed by 7-Eleven at 5600 W Irving Park Road, and the company’s locator notes the site has an on-site ATM. The storefront sits at a busy commercial corner in Portage Park and was left with broken glass and boarded doors after the hit. The location is listed as open 24/7.
Part of a Wider Pattern
The Portage Park break-in lines up with a string of predawn “crash-and-grab” thefts across Chicago, where crews use SUVs to ram storefronts and drag out ATMs. A series of early-June hits in the Loop, Lakeview and Chinatown followed the same script, and FOX 32 Chicago reported a similar Jeep-driven ATM theft in River North this spring. Detectives have urged businesses to preserve footage as they work to determine whether the hits are connected.
Police Ask for Help
Authorities are asking anyone with video or information to contact area detectives; as of Thursday, no arrests had been announced. CBS Chicago reported that investigators were on scene canvassing nearby businesses and reviewing surveillance systems to identify suspects.
For merchants, the loss goes beyond the cash inside the machine. Repairs, lost hours and insurance headaches can drag on for months, and previous coverage has detailed the toll these smash-and-grab hits can leave on small businesses.
