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Brazen package bandits caught on camera in Little Italy
Packages are being stolen on the Near West Side. That's something a lot of Chicagoans can relate to. But in this case, the thieves are on a schedule and have been showing up on camera. Joanie Lum is live in Little Italy.
CHICAGO - A group of thieves has hit a Near West Side neighborhood every night for a week. Neighbors know because they have video of the brazen bandits.
There are doorbell cameras everywhere on this block of West Flournoy by the University of Illinois Chicago, recording a group of thieves stealing packages, children's toys and belongings in cars.
Now, they’re doing it on schedule. Neighbors know because there’s video of these brazen bandits in the West Loop. Security cameras have recorded video of the group striking in the night.
Every day for a week, between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., they go shopping from the porches and backyards, riding bikes, pulling on the doors of parked cars, even dressing as delivery workers.
It isn’t the worst crime, but it is maddening to the residents.
They want to increase awareness and perhaps, help the police catch them.
A neighbor who did not want to be identified described what’s happening: "We’re aware they’re coming between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., but I’m not gonna sit out there and wait. I’m not gonna get hurt for an Amazon package. There’s nothing I can do."
Longtime Little Italy resident Frank Derango said, "One of them had a gun in their hand. It starts from stealing packages, but if you intervene, and that one has a gun, you could potentially get shot robbed or whatever the case may be."
Neighbors share video and look out for each other's deliveries now. One even followed the bandit to the South Loop where the person tried to sell the stolen items but still was not arrested.
All they can do now is get the word out.
The Source: This story contains reporting from Fox Chicago's Joanie Lum.