Cops Hunting For Lakeview Burglar Find An Arsonist Instead (And Then They Find The Burglar, Too)

Weiss (Chicago Police Dept)

A Boystown man faces one count of felony arson after Chicago police hunting for an unrelated burglary offender saw him lighting a discarded couch on fire behind The Belmont Cafe, 930 W. Belmont, early Tuesday.

Colin Weiss, 24, of the 3200 block of N. Clark was arrested at 2:50AM, police said.

Officers searching alleys for a reported burglary offender found Weiss in the process of lighting the couch on fire next to a bin of the restaurant’s discarded grease, police said.

Less than 10 minutes later, other officers found the burglary suspect that everyone was looking for.

David Smith, 34, of Uptown is charged with attempted burglary and criminal trespassing in connection with an incident in the 3200 block of N. Seminary.

Smith (Chicago Police Dept)

A homeowner on the block was awakened at 2:30AM Tuesday morning by the sound of their back window being pushed in. They found their screen busted and their back door open when they went to investigate.

Officers searched the area and found Smith hiding in a nearby garage just before 3AM, police said.

Probably not coincidentally, a man in the 3100 block of N. Southport found his home burglarized last Sunday. Entry was made by cuting the screen and crawling through the window, according to a neighbor.

Other Break-ins

The 19th police district has recorded 304 burglaries so far this year as of May 15. Only 182 burglaries had been reported at the same point last year.

Among recent burglaries in the area:

• 3700 block of N. Greenview last Friday morning. Entry was made to a garden apartment through a window in the gangway.

• A. J. Hudson’s Public House, 3801 N. Ashland, was burglarized after business hours last Friday. After entering through the front window, an offender used a knife to cut a cash register loose, police said.

• Residence in the 1400 block of W. Henderson burglarized on Saturday. “Lots of stuff taken,” the victim said.

• Residence in the 1600 block of W. Grace. Entry made through the back window on Monday.

• Several witnesses reported seeing two burglars force their way into Firecakes, a donut shop at 2543 N. Clark around 1:40AM on Tuesday. The offenders fled the scene before police arrived. Firecakes is located on a stretch of Clark Street that saw four businesses burglarized in a single night last week.

The List

Other break-ins confirmed by 19th district officers in recent days: