An SUV crashed through the entrance of a 7-Eleven in Chicago's West Town neighborhood early Wednesday.
The break-in was reported early Wednesday in West Town, according to FOX 32 Chicago, which covered the burglary involving an SUV that crashed directly into the convenience store.
West Town in particular has a longer history with this kind of crime. Back in March 2015, two people were arrested after an early-morning robbery of a West Town 7-Eleven led to a vehicle and foot chase, according to CWB Chicago. The chase followed three early-Friday convenience-store robberies, the outlet reported.
A Citywide Surge in Commercial Break-Ins
Wednesday's crash is part of a much larger pattern playing out across Chicago. A July 2026 report by the Council on Criminal Justice found that nonresidential burglaries in the city jumped 132% during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, and were 434% higher than during the first half of 2019, per the Council on Criminal Justice. The group analyzed nonresidential burglary rates across 35 cities.
On Tuesday, an Uptown gas station ATM was torn out by a Jeep in a predawn Broadway crash-and-grab. A similar break-in struck a Rogers Park jewelry store the same day, with thieves stripping an entire wall after ramming it with a Honda sedan. Earlier in October, burglars drove an SUV into a Little Italy bar to steal an ATM, and in September, a crash-and-grab crew rammed an SUV into a Western Avenue vape shop for the same reason.
Industry Warnings About Crash-and-Grabs
Industry leadership has also sounded alarms about the risks to employees and bystanders. Illinois Retail Merchants Association president Robb Karr said such crimes were becoming more violent and weapons were increasingly being brandished, per the same CBS Chicago report. That assessment followed a Gold Coast crash-and-grab attempt that escalated into a shootout between a suspect and a Chicago police officer.
The risk extends beyond the businesses themselves. In August 2023, a television news crew from Univision Chicago filming a report on a wave of commercial robberies in West Town was robbed at gunpoint on the street while setting up their equipment, according to the Tri City Voice, which reported that three armed men brandished handguns and stole the crew's news camera.
Storefront Safety and Legal Exposure
The Security Industry Association recommends crash-tested safety barriers and bollards to protect storefronts, according to the Security Industry Association.
7-Eleven locations specifically have faced this exposure for years. Court disclosures during a 2023 storefront collision lawsuit revealed that over 6,200 storefront vehicle crashes occurred at 7-Eleven locations nationwide over a 15-year period, averaging at least one crash per day, with court records indicating more than 100 franchise locations had been struck more than five times.
Under Illinois statute 720 ILCS 5/19-1, commercial burglary involving property damage is classified as a Class 2 felony, punishable by three to seven years in state prison and potential fines up to $25,000. No arrests had been reported in connection with Wednesday's West Town incident.
