A dark-colored SUV plowed through the front entrance of a vape shop in the 800 block of North Western Avenue at about 3:53 a.m. Sunday, and by the time it was over, multiple people had hauled off the store's ATM and vanished in a second SUV. No injuries were reported in the burglary.
The overnight raid, reported by ABC7 Chicago, is now under investigation by Chicago police. According to the station's report, the suspects used the first SUV as a battering ram to break into the business before making their escape in the second vehicle with the stolen machine.
A Familiar Pattern on the Northwest Side
The Western Avenue incident lands just five days after a nearly identical scheme played out nearby in Irving Park, where suspects rammed SUVs into businesses and pulled off a successful ATM theft from a gas station before escaping in a second vehicle, according to a video posted by NBC Chicago. That timeline places two strikingly similar crash-and-grab jobs within a five-day span.
The Irving Park incidents involved multiple businesses, including a gas station, according to a Facebook post. The Western Avenue burglary also involved two dark-colored SUVs: one broke into the shop, and the other was used to escape with the ATM.
Vape and Smoke Shops a Recurring Target
Businesses along North Western Avenue have been hit this way before. In May 2024, thieves drove an SUV through the storefront of Smoke N Snack, a smoke shop in the 1800 block of North Western Avenue in Logan Square, to steal an ATM before fleeing, as reported by FOX 32 Chicago.
Neighboring commercial strips have not been spared either. In December 2025, police issued a community alert for Wicker Park and Logan Square after a crash-and-grab crew used vans and vehicle rammings to raid businesses, including a Carhartt storefront on North Milwaukee Avenue, according to CWB Chicago.
City Bollards Have Not Reached Every Corridor
Chicago's effort includes more than 40 protective steel bollards along Michigan Avenue, according to ABC7 Chicago. An Oak Street bollard program has also been discussed.
Potential Charges and a Citywide Backdrop
Under Illinois law, commercial burglary that causes property damage to a building or structure is classified as a Class 2 felony, carrying a statutory penalty of three to seven years in state prison upon conviction, per the Illinois General Assembly's criminal code. Chicago Police Department CompStat figures list 7,865 motor vehicle thefts year to date.
It remains unclear whether the SUV used to crash into the Western Avenue vape shop had been reported stolen, and police have not said whether they believe the burglary is connected to the crew responsible for the September 15 incidents in Irving Park. No arrests had been announced as of Sunday, and the investigation into the Western Avenue burglary remains active.
