A driver backed a Jeep Grand Cherokee into the storefront of Burger Bite at 1500 W. Devon Ave. in Rogers Park on Tuesday, striking the entrance multiple times before leaving. The restaurant reported no injuries and kept its doors open for customers even as crews worked to clean up the damage and patch the structure.
Surveillance video posted to Facebook by the business captured the driver striking the entrance multiple times, according to CBS News Chicago. Police classified the incident as an attempted burglary, and the station reports the crash was tied to an effort to steal the restaurant's ATM. The driver eventually headed off after the attempted ATM burglary.
Burger Bite's experience comes amid reports of other ATM burglaries in Chicago neighborhoods.
A Citywide Surge in Smash-and-Grab Tactics
Reports have described similar break-ins at businesses, including gas stations, bars and restaurants. The Rogers Park attempt is among other reported incidents involving vehicles used to break into businesses.
Just weeks earlier, thieves used a dark-colored Jeep to ram a storefront in the 2300 block of North Clark Street in Lincoln Park around 2:40 a.m. on September 26, making off with an ATM before escaping in a separate getaway car — a case Hoodline covered in Jeep Rams Lincoln Park Storefront. Months before that, in March, burglars drove a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee into the front of the 24-hour Golden Apple restaurant in Lakeview, stealing an indoor ATM while the business was open, with no employees or patrons hurt in the crash.
Organized Crews Behind Dozens of Break-Ins
Chicago police have pointed to organized crews as the driving force behind the wave of thefts. A community advisory issued in May linked a single burglary crew to at least 25 commercial break-ins across the city between April 20 and May 13. Suspects typically used pry bars, vehicles or other methods to force entry, according to CWB Chicago.
An earlier case in which two juveniles were arrested and charged, and police recovered ATMs, was detailed by Hoodline in Cops Nab Teen Duo in Heist Spree.
Legal Stakes and Storefront Defenses
Under Illinois statute 720 ILCS 5/19-1, burglary in a building is a Class 2 felony, according to FindLaw. The statute applies Class 3 treatment to burglary in specified listed property when no damage is caused; it does not make property damage a general condition for elevating burglary from Class 3 to Class 2.
An earlier alert described thieves using chains to pull ATMs from businesses, per Nadig Newspapers.
For now, Burger Bite is back open on Devon Avenue, its storefront under repair. The attempted burglary is another reported vehicle-related break-in at a Chicago business.
