Shocking security footage captured the moment several individuals removed a giant concrete barrier and rammed a Jeep into the store front of a high-end clothing shop in the West Loop early Tuesday morning as part of a "crash-and-grab" burglary.
According to police, the incident occurred at 3:11 a.m. in the 100 block of North Aberdeen, when the driver of a Jeep with several passengers inside struck the security gate and front door at the clothing shop SVRN.
The individuals took an unknown amount of merchandise and then fled the scene in several vehicles, police said.
Surveillance video from outside the shop shows several cars stopped in front of the shop before the burglary, with at least three large concrete anchors in front of the entrance.
At one point in the footage, an individual can be seen working to tie what appears to be a wire from one of the barriers barrier to an SUV in the middle of the street. The driver of the SUV can then be seen pulling the heavy concrete barrier off the sidewalk by slamming on the gas.
At another point in the video, one individual works to direct another car, a Jeep, to drive onto the sidewalk and up to the store front. The individual continues to stand close to the Jeep as it rams multiple times through the front entrance.
Surveillance video from inside the store shows the car breaking through the glass, with individuals running inside and grabbing merchandise. The individuals can then be seen fleeing the scene in multiple vehicles, with the Jeep still smashed through the front entrance.
SVRN owners David and Robert Kim told NBC Chicago the break-in at their store is the third in three weeks.
"We've done everything we could," David said. "We put barriers up, gates. Hiding our inventory in our stock room. They are still relentless enough, and no one is doing anything to stop these across the city."
David added that the burglary at SVRN — the Kim family's small business — is at least the seventh or eight break-in in the past two years.
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"All this will be coming out of our pocket," David said.
The burglary is similar to other recent "crash-and-grabs" across Chicago, including one last month where suspects smashed into a River North store in an attempt to take an ATM machine.
In October, shocking surveillance video showed a stolen SUV crashing into a sneaker store in the Tri-Taylor neighborhood, with several suspects running into the store and grabbing merchandise before fleeing the scene.
"I love this city," David said. "I have a lot of pride for this city. But I think everyone in power needs to do a better job and look out for its community. This is pretty sad."
According to police, no one was in custody, and detectives were investigating.
