Predawn crews ripped ATMs out of three Chicago businesses early Saturday, leaving behind shattered glass, busted doors and rattled owners in Lakeview, the Loop and Chinatown. Police say the thieves took off in a blue sedan and a white SUV, and detectives are asking anyone with camera footage to share it.
The first hit came around 4 a.m. in the 3800 block of N. Clark Street in Lakeview, where three suspects forced their way in through a bar's back entrance and hauled out an ATM. Roughly 20 minutes later, at about 4:28 a.m., multiple people smashed a window at O'Neil's on Wells in the Loop, grabbed an ATM and sped off in a blue sedan. A short time later, a white SUV rammed into a gas station on the 2400 block of S. Archer in Chinatown, where the crew pulled off a similar ATM theft, according to ABC7 Chicago.
Smash-and-grab spree fits a citywide trend
The early-morning run on ATMs tracks with a broader wave of smash-and-grab and crash-and-grab thefts that have hit Chicago in recent months. In April, burglars in River North used a Jeep to ram a minimart and yank out an ATM, an incident captured and reported by CBS Chicago. By May, Chicago police were publicly warning about crews ramming gas stations specifically to steal machines, according to FOX 32 Chicago.
Merchants say the toll is more than cash
For business owners, the hit does not stop with the cash inside the ATM. Repairing doors and windows, losing business hours and facing potential insurance hikes can quickly turn a single overnight smash-in into a long, expensive headache. Recent coverage has chronicled several of those predawn attacks and highlighted steps some merchants are taking, including moving ATMs away from windows or temporarily pulling them from storefronts. Detectives are canvassing the affected blocks for surveillance video and witnesses.
No arrests have been announced, and police say they are not currently linking the three incidents, according to ABC7 Chicago. Investigators are urging anyone with video or information to contact area detectives or submit an anonymous tip through the CPD tip portal. Officers emphasize that preserved surveillance footage can be critical in tracking these crews, a point underscored in coverage by FOX 32 Chicago.
