Chicago police are warning business owners to be careful after a burglary crew was captured on surveillance video targeting electrical and plumbing businesses across the city multiple times this year.
Police say the same crew is believed to be connected to at least 32 burglaries across the city from North Center to Old Irving Park to Portage Park -- all since January.
The latest break in happened on Mother’s Day at a hardware warehouse in the 4300 block of North Kilpatrick, authorities said.
According to police, in each instance "multiple offenders have forcibly entered businesses and work vehicles by breaking doors and windows to gain access."
"Once inside, the offenders remove property, including tools/ and equipment," police said in their alert. "This also includes work vehicles parked at location of business and on residential streets."
One business owner told NBC Chicago they have been targeted numerous times.
“Nothing seems to be stopping,” said Scott Hoffman. “Everything seems to be, if nothing else, escalating.”
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Hoffman is the president of Fettes, Love & Sieben on the city’s North Side and said the thieves broke into their building four times just this year alone. His plumbers were confronted by the thieves in one of those incidents.
“Three guys came up to one of my plumbers at gunpoint, walked him into our shop, shop door was open,” he said. “We had another loading up for the day and [they] demanded tools.”
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At least six of their vehicles have also been targeted. Hoffman said he's not sure how much the business can take. The thieves got away with around $100,000 worth of tools in a matter of months.
“They’re so brazen, they’re not fearful of anything,” he said. “It seems like if they’re caught, which they don’t seem to be, they’re let out right away.”
Another business owner told NBC Chicago they too have had enough.
“I have no hope that [police are] going to catch them,” said Wayne Weinke, vice president of Way-Ken Contractors Supply. “They wore masks, they were hooded—what are you going to do?”
Weinke said the family business has been around for 70 years, he’s now left feeling frustrated and helpless.
“We watched the cameras and they were walking around like they owned the place with the alarms going off,” he said. “They didn’t have a care in the world.”
He and other business owners have made some security changes. They’ve added more cameras, gates, and even concrete barriers to prevent the criminals from ramming their vehicles into the buildings and said they’re doing whatever they can to protect their bottom line.
“We’re the ones that are the honest business trying to make a buck and they’re just trashing our business,” Hoffman said.
Police said the crew has been seen driving a 2024 black Volkswagen Atlas with Illinois plate ED21641. They're asking anyone with information to contact area detectives at the following numbers:
(312) 744-8263
(312) 746-8253
(312) 746-7394
