As Chicago thaws out from its months-long COVID-19 lockdown, the city’s legions of criminals are eagerly returning to work. Like the people who make a living by stealing bags and purses from unsuspecting restaurant customers.
Chicago police just released a video that shows who sly those thieves can be.
The footage, recorded around 8:15 p.m. on June 13, shows a man taking a handbag that someone left on the ground while they sat in a restaurant’s sidewalk dining area. Police said the incident took place on the 100 block of West Illinois, but the footage shows a sidewalk cafe on the 400 block of North Clark in front of Enolo Wine Cafe.
A man dressed in a blazer, jeans, and baseball cap walks past the cafe and looks like he’s going to cross the street. But the bag, wedged under the cafe’s wooden railing, catches his eye.
The apparent thief circles back and pretends to pay a parking meter while pulling the bag toward him with his left foot. He takes off his blazer and uses it to hide the bag as he picks it off the ground and walks away.
Detectives are trying to identify the man. Anyone with information about the suspect can call Detective Saud Haidari at 312-744-8263 about case JD263409.
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