A roving band of thieves broke into at least five businesses across Lakeview and Lincoln Park early Tuesday before they ended their spree by stealing the ATM from an Old Town gas station that was open for business, according to CPD reports. No arrests have been made.
The crew tampered with ATMs and stole cash registers and merchandise from a series of stores.
Around 3:30 a.m. police responded to a burglar alarm at Smoker’s Zone, 3326 North Clark. Cops found the front door broken and the store burglarized.
Two other businesses were targeted in the same area: Taste of Manhattan Bagels at 3268 North Clark and Pipes and Stuff, 3174 North Clark.
Then, around 6:10 a.m., witnesses saw two cars pull up to Broadway Liquors, 3158 North Broadway. About six young men got out of the vehicles, broke the front door, and tried to take the ATM, a passerby said. The crew failed to dislodge the cash machine, but they did take the register.
Fifteen minutes later, they broke into Park View Grocer, 1940 North Clark in Old Town. According to a police report, three burglars were seen going into the convenience store, where they took the register, cash, and inventory.
But they save their boldest move for last.
After leaving the Park View Grocer around 6:30 a.m., they drove a couple of blocks south, and two members of the team entered the 24-hour Shell service station at 130 West North Avenue.
The duo ripped an ATM out of the wall and loaded it into a black Jeep Cherokee that was waiting outside, according to CPD spokesperson Sally Bown. The clerk was not injured.
People who saw the Broadway Liquors burglary said a black Jeep Cherokee was one of the cars that the crew used there, too. The other appeared to be a minivan, they said.
Area Three detectives are investigating.