Chicagoans are used to the city’s ubiquitous catalytic converter thieves, some of whom are known to openly carry handguns while stealing car parts.
But police responded to multiple calls of something even wilder on Saturday morning: Auto part thieves who fired a handgun when someone approached them.
Just after 5 a.m. Saturday, a North Center resident called police after they saw two men stealing rims from parked vehicles near the intersection of Cullom and Leavitt. One of the men, he said, fired a handgun into the air when they spotted him.
Police searched the area but didn’t locate the thieves.
Then, at 6:45 a.m., a Roscoe Village resident saw two men stealing rims from cars near the intersection of Henderson and Wolcott. No shots were fired this time, but police still didn’t manage to find the suspects.
The offenders in both cases are described as White men wearing gray hoodies who get around in a black Toyota.
So far, the thieves have not been arrested.