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Business owners across multiple Chicago districts are on high alert after the Chicago Police Department reported a series of brazen commercial burglaries targeting plumbing and electrical businesses. According to a business alert released by the CPD, the perpetrators have been forcefully entering buildings and vehicles to pilfer tools and equipment.
Multiple incidents were noted, with criminals smashing their way through doors and windows to make off with valuable property. Specifically being hit are the districts 011th, 017th, 018th, 019th, and 025th, with offenses consistently occurring in the early morning hours. A rash of these heists took place in rapid succession in February, all with a familiar modus operandi.
The CPD has detailed the incidents, including those that happened on the 4300 block of North Lincoln and the 1100 block of West Webster in January and February. As specified by the alert, various times such as 6:00 A.M. on January 18, in between 6:00 P.M. and 12:55 P.M. during Jan. 18-Feb. 13, right down to the precise incident on February 14, at 3:14 A.M. on the dot, have put businesses on edge and police on the hunt.
The suspects believed to number between one and three African American males dressed in dark clothing, remain at large. The thieves have chosen their targets, including both work vehicles parked at business premises and those left on residential streets, with a calculated coldness that has alarmed the local business community.
The CPD is urging business owners to keep their properties well-lit and to report any suspicious activity. They also recommend that if video surveillance captures a crime, that footage should be saved and provided to detectives. And, in the unfortunate event that a business becomes a victim, the CPD advises not to tamper with the scene and to call the police immediately. Equipped with the description of the offenders and the operational tactics, the hope is to thwart these criminal activities as they continue to investigate the string of burglaries.
