CBS News Chicago cameras captured the moment individuals involved in a smash-and-grab burglary in a Chicago neighborhood.
CBS Chicago crews reported to the police after witnessing at least three individuals exiting a Foot Locker store carrying multiple shoe boxes and other items. According to Chicago police, a group used a Jeep to crash into the store located in the 3300 block of South Martin Luther King Drive at approximately 6:40 a.m. The suspects involved in the crash reportedly stole merchandise from the store, prompting additional individuals from the vicinity to enter and join in the theft.
Authorities stated that they are searching for fingerprints or any other potential evidence inside the Jeep. The Chicago Police Department indicated that the same vehicle was linked to another burglary that occurred approximately an hour prior, a little over two miles south of the Foot Locker store. CPD reported that a group of suspects, traveling in two distinct SUVs, forcibly removed a security gate outside the J-Bees Sportswear boutique near 47th Street and Indiana Avenue.
The owner mentioned that he is unable to provide an estimate of the damage at this moment, but he believes that the thieves made off with a substantial amount of merchandise.
“I’m not surprised because that’s the way the trend is going on,” J-Bees owner Syed Gilani told CBS Chicago. “But I’m really upset because … you gather all this inventory for a long period of time. It’s not like in one night.
“Everything is gone.”
Police said the stolen Jeep was involved in several burglaries overnight, and they’re still working on connecting it to other crime scenes.
No arrests have been made.