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| Approximate locations of the four burglaries. |
Police are on the hunt for a burglary crew that broke into four businesses in Lincoln Park and Lakeview early Monday morning. And investigators believe patrol officers may have nearly caught the criminals as they tried to break into a fifth business near Wrigleyville. Here’s what we’ve learned:
Two pairs of neighboring businesses were found burglarized Monday morning:
• Cafe Vienna and Sultan’s Market at 2523 and 2521 North Clark Street
• Allstate Insurance and Matisse bar at 674 West Diversey Parkway
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| Cafe Vienna and Sultan’s Market (left) and Allstate Insurance and Matisse bar (right). | Google |
Investigators issued a community alert late Monday that said the burglars forced rear doors open or entered through doors that were left unlocked—most likely between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Monday. The businesses were ransacked as the burglars searched for valuables.
At 4:15 a.m., patrol officers came across two masked men leaving a building in the 3300 block of North Clark Street. Upon seeing police, the men jumped into a minivan and sped away with their headlights off. A third offender may have run away on foot, an officer said.
The minivan is a gray, silver, or light tan Chrysler with a blue dealer decal on the back side and no rear plate, according to an officer who saw it drive away from the Clark Street scene. The suspected burglars were three young, skinny black males who stand 5’10” to 6-feet tall. They wore face masks and hoodies, the officer said.
The community alert described the burglars as black males between 17- and 25-years-old.
Police are encouraging businesses to share information about the break-ins. Doors and windows should be double-checked to ensure that they are secured upon closing, police said.
Anyone with information about the burglaries may contact Area North detectives at 312-744-8263 about pattern #P19-N-114.
