A new video shows how thieves are distracting victims in public places and stealing everything they can get their hands on.
Vicki Long said a group of teens came into Home Tavern in Lakeview where she was enjoying a drink with friends.
“They came in and they were asking for basketball camp, or some kind of basketball,” Long said.
Long and other patrons declined to make a donation but they later realized they didn’t leave empty-handed.
“I was at the end of the bar. My back was turned and my phone was gone,” Long said.
Owner Michael Ziwei said the teens had visited his bar three Mondays in a row.
A similar crime was captured on surveillance cameras at Cohiba Cuban Cuisine. In that case, the cameras caught teens asking for money for a sports team with fliers. They placed the fliers on cellphones and left with the devices.
Local
According to a neighborhood blog, multiple businesses in the area have been hit over the past few weeks.
Police have yet to make arrests in the thefts.
