Chicago police are looking to apprehend whoever burglarized a total of 12 restaurants on the city's Near North Side in under a two-week span.
The Chicago Police Department issued a community alert Saturday, saying 12 restaurants were broken into between Feb. 18 and 27. In each incident, an offender forcibly entered the business - either by pushing through doors or breaking glass doors - and stole property once inside, police said.
NBC 5 initially reported on the series of break-ins Tuesday afternoon. Video from that afternoon shows the front door to a taco restaurant in the 400 block of North Clark Street covered up. A half-mile away, the front door to a coffee shop was also boarded up in the 700 block of North Wells.
NBC 5 talked to a local chef, Michael Mitchell, who said it's upsetting hearing about the burglaries, and he worries about businesses leaving the city because of crime.
"The pandemic had put a hurting on us so bad, and we don't need anything else to discourage the business to leave, which has been happening all over... over there on the coasts, stores are leaving..." he said. "We don't need anything... to discourage restaurant business.”
So far, 42 burglaries have been reported in the city's 18th Police District, which includes the Near North Side. That number is an increase from 31 at the same point last year. As of Saturday evening, it's unclear if the same person is suspected in all of the recent incidents.
The restaurant burglaries were reported in the following locations:
- · 500 block of North Wells Street - Saturday, Feb. 18
- · 300 block of West Grand Avenue - Tuesday, Feb. 21
- · 200 block of West Institute Place - Wednesday, Feb. 22
- · 300 block of West Grand Avenue - Sunday, Feb. 26
- · 100 block of West Grand Avenue - Sunday, Feb. 26
- · 600 block of North State Street - Sunday, Feb. 26
- · 500 block of North State Street - Sunday, Feb. 26
- · 600 block of North State Street - Sunday, Feb. 26
- · 700 block of North Wells Street - Sunday, Feb. 26
- · 400 block of North Clark Street - Sunday, Feb. 26
- · 0-100 block of West Illinois Street - Monday, Feb. 27
- · 0-100 block of West Erie Street - Monday, Feb 27
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