Smash-and-grab caught on camera at Chicago cannabis store, suspects on the run
Chicago-area burglars target gaming machines in businesses: 'They're in and they're out'
Chicago police are searching for a group of suspects caught on camera smashing their way into a South Loop cannabis store early Monday.
CHICAGO - Chicago police are searching for a group of suspects caught on camera smashing their way into a South Loop cannabis store early Monday.
What we know:
Police said three to four suspects broke a front glass window at the Grasshopper Club cannabis store about 3:40 a.m. in the 0-100 block of East Roosevelt Road.
Surveillance video shows a white SUV pulling up near the sidewalk and at least three people, dressed in black, getting out.
One suspect is seen ramming the window with an object before a second suspect joins in, eventually shattering the glass.
Smash-and-grab caught on camera at Chicago cannabis store, suspects on the run
Chicago police are searching for a group of suspects caught on camera smashing their way into a South Loop cannabis store early Monday. (Video credit: Grasshopper Club)
Video shows one suspect entering the business while two others return to the vehicle. One of those suspects then heads back toward the store.
The suspect inside is seen throwing items through the broken window, where another suspect collects them and carries them to the SUV.
The suspect who entered the store later exits, carrying items in both hands, and the group speeds away from the scene.
Meanwhile, in Blue Island, burglars targeted Janet’s Gem Gaming Café inside the historic Lyric Theater, smashing through the front entrance before going straight for the gaming machines.
"It’s just crazy that this is where we’re at. People enjoy the gaming, but now it’s gotten to the point where businesses are scared to even have it," said Scott Arnold, events manager for the Lyric Theater.
Police say the suspects got inside overnight and were out in less than a minute.
"They were having trouble with the door, so they busted out the window. Then two guys with sledgehammers went at the machines, broke the front, pried open the box, and took it," Arnold said.
Business owners say the repeated break-ins are forcing many to rethink where they place gaming machines or whether to keep them at all.
"You see police out in the community, but it’s so fast. I don’t know what you can do. It seems like they go after places where the machines are close to windows. It’s quick in and out," Arnold said.
What we don't know:
Police said it is unclear what was taken from the business and classified the incident as criminal damage to property.
Descriptions of the suspects have not been released. No arrests have been made.
What's next:
The store’s owner told FOX Chicago that the same suspects may be linked to other overnight robberies in the South Loop, Pilsen and Bridgeport neighborhoods, but police have not confirmed that information.
The investigation remains ongoing.
The Source: The information in this article was provided by the Chicago Police Department and the Grasshopper Club.