Police were investigating an overnight series of commercial burglaries along South Archer and South Harlem Avenues early Friday, with businesses in Chicago and nearby Summit left damaged and some cash taken.
In Summit, Jimmy John's and Taco Primo had their doors boarded up after the break-ins, while suspects took cash from Beefy's, according to WGN-TV, which reported that multiple locations were hit.
In Chicago, WGN-TV also reported that officers were seen entering and leaving a Rosati's and a Subway near 59th Street and Archer Avenue. The Subway manager arrived around 6 a.m. Friday to find shattered glass; the station reported it was the second time in several months that the store had been broken into. Police said several suspects broke into multiple locations along South Archer and South Harlem Avenues, the station reported.
A Repeat Target Speaks Out
Beefy's owner Tina Kourafas told WGN-TV that an earlier burglary required register repairs, glass cleanup and board-up work, expenses that can outlast the cash stolen.
Chicago police said the offenders who broke into Rosati's and Subway were driving a black sedan, the same type of getaway vehicle described in a January robbery nearby on the same South Archer Avenue corridor, when a 27-year-old man was beaten and robbed inside a convenience store on the 5800 block of South Archer Avenue, according to earlier Hoodline reporting. Area One detectives investigated that case, in which the group fled with cash from the register.
Part of a Monthslong Pattern Along Archer Avenue
This is far from the first time Archer Avenue businesses have been targeted this year. Back on June 2, a smash-and-grab spree hit four businesses along South Archer Avenue in Garfield Ridge, including a bakery, a barbershop, a Wingstop and a Rosati's Pizza location near Central Avenue, as reported by CBS Chicago. Intruders smashed the front glass door of Tom's Tap at 6707 W. Archer Ave. in Garfield Ridge and left an open cash register during a break-in, according to the Vedette.
Chicago Police had already issued a community advisory in July warning business owners across Garfield Ridge, Archer Heights, West Lawn, Gage Park and Scottsdale after 14 commercial break-ins occurred in just two weeks, with thieves consistently targeting cash registers, Patch reported at the time.
A Separate CPD-Documented Burglary Cluster
A separate Chicago Police Department alert dated June 4, 2025, documented commercial burglaries in Norwood Park, Jefferson Park, Wildwood and Irving Park in which offenders smashed business windows or front glass doors and stole cash from registers. The alert concerned an earlier set of incidents, separate from the Archer Avenue burglaries, according to the Chicago Police Department.
A Citywide Surge in Storefront Crime
The Southwest Side spree lands amid a broader spike in nonresidential burglaries across Chicago. Commercial burglaries citywide surged 132% during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, and were up 434% compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels, according to the Council on Criminal Justice. Residential burglaries, by contrast, have dropped significantly over the same stretch, leaving storefronts disproportionately exposed.
The pattern isn't confined to the Southwest Side. Just a day before the Archer and Harlem Avenue break-ins, Chicago Police launched an investigation into a separate overnight spree that hit more than 20 businesses, primarily on the city's Northwest Side, where four suspects used heavy objects to smash glass storefronts and fled in a stolen red sedan, according to FOX 32 Chicago. Chicago's 6th Ward Alderman also convened an emergency community meeting earlier this month after a series of overnight break-ins damaged small businesses across South Side commercial corridors, WGN-TV has reported separately.
What Comes Next for Store Owners
Chicago Police business advisories recommend that store owners maintain functional cameras and report suspicious activity. Anyone with information about the burglaries can leave an anonymous tip to assist CPD's investigation.
