An early-morning smash-and-grab left a North Lawndale restaurant’s front end wrecked but its ATM still standing, after a crew of thieves rammed the building and tried to drag the machine out, according to Chicago police. The attempted heist unfolded around 5:15 a.m. Saturday in the 3400 block of W. Roosevelt Road on the West Side. The suspects took off in a white SUV, and police said no one was hurt.
How the attempt unfolded
According to FOX 32 Chicago, an unidentified offender first used a gray SUV as a battering ram, slamming it into the restaurant’s front. After breaking through, the group went inside and tried to remove the ATM, but the machine did not budge. The crew then abandoned the effort and left in a white SUV, while area detectives canvassed the block, FOX 32 reported.
Part of a citywide pattern
Chicago has been dealing with a string of early-morning crash-and-grab attempts this spring and summer, with crews using SUVs and other vehicles to yank ATMs from storefronts, NBC Chicago reported. In a similar predawn case in May, a vehicle plowed into a South Shore gas station in an apparent attempt to rip out an ATM, a pattern that has left business owners stuck with steep repair bills and detectives urging neighbors to preserve any surveillance footage that might help.
What investigators are doing
As reported by FOX 32 Chicago, area detectives are investigating the North Lawndale case, noting that the gray SUV caused significant damage to the restaurant’s storefront. Police reiterated that no injuries were reported. Detectives are reviewing evidence from the scene and following leads as they work to identify the suspects and determine whether this failed ATM grab is tied to other similar thefts around the city.
