A brazen Wicker Park robbery was caught on surveillance camera on Thursday night, and the video features a pregnant woman confronting the would-be robber as he entered the home.
“A momma bear protecting her cub,” one neighbor described the incident. “I don’t know if she would’ve reacted the same way if her son wasn’t in the house. (It was) just instinct.”
Neighbors on the 1400 block of North Bell were shaken, but not surprised by the brazen intruder, who tried to break into the home on Thursday night. A surveillance camera showed the alleged intruder climbing the stairs and looking around before trying to enter the front door.
After the would-be-robber attempted to break into the home, the security footage shows the mother, whose young son was sleeping inside, confronting the suspect.
“Hello! Who are you?,” footage captures her yelling. “Get out of my house! Get the *expletive* out of my house!”
The alleged intruder fled the scene, and was later spotted in the 1600 block of Maplewood, where police say he tried to break into a car. The suspect, a 15-year-old boy, was armed with a handgun when he was taken into custody.”
The victim posted a video to Facebook to warn her Wicker Park neighbors, telling them to lock their doors and to be cautious.
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“I usually keep everything locked, but I’ll definitely pay more attention after seeing that video,” neighbor Wayne Ford said. “It’s scary.”
Chicago police say that the suspect has been charged with trespassing and possession of a firearm whose serial number was scraped off. The latter charge is a felony, according to authorities.
Ultimately, the woman and her son were unharmed, and neighbors were grateful that a bad situation didn’t turn into anything worse.
“I’m glad she’s okay,” a neighbor said. “All we can do is go down there and offer more neighborhood support.”
