Overview
- A series of early-morning crash-and-grab and smash-and-grab incidents hit the Loop and the Northwest Side, with thieves using vehicles to ram storefronts or escape the scene.
- At a downtown Circle K near Willis Tower, suspects in a black Jeep smashed into the store and tried to remove an ATM but left without it, with police reporting only property damage while Belmont Area detectives investigate.
- In Irving Park, officers said a white Jeep was driven into a 7-Eleven and at least four people stole items from the store, and witnesses reported a blue Acura and another white Jeep used as getaway vehicles.
- Surveillance video released by reporters shows thieves using sledgehammers to smash gaming machines inside Milano Café, and a separate break-in at Snacks N Smoke was the fourth attack on that shop in 11 months.
- No arrests have been reported, detectives are still probing the incidents, and owners warn repeated burglaries are driving up repair and insurance costs and threatening some small businesses with closure.