A burglar scored thousands of dollars worth of jerseys from a Wrigleyville sporting goods store early on New Year’s Day. The break-in came just hours after Chicago police warned about a pattern of business burglaries in the Lakeview neighborhood.
An employee found the front glass door broken around 8 a.m. Friday at Sports World, 3555 North Clark. The long-running retailer is located on the corner of Clark and Addison, directly across from Wrigley Field.
Surveillance video shows a man breaking into the store and collecting piles of jerseys. He was last seen walking behind the nearby Cubby Bear restaurant and bar, according to police. According to an initial review, the stolen jerseys are reportedly worth between $3,000 and $4,000.
The offender is a White man in his 40’s or early 50’s who has shoulder-length brown hair. He was wearing a yellow checkered shirt and gray sweats.
Burglary alert
On Thursday, Area Three detectives issued a warning for Lakeview businesses after investigators linked two recent break-ins to a burglary crew. The Sports World incident does not appear to be related to the pattern.
Detectives said a group of three burglars broke into two businesses in Lakeview recently. After forcing the businesses’ front doors open, the team removes property from the sales floor and storage rooms, according to CPD’s alert.
One of the cases listed on the bulletin is the break-in at Ulta Beauty, 3015 North Clark, at 4:50 a.m. December 26.
The other burglary linked to the team took place on the 3400 block of North Southport at 3:32 a.m. on December 18, police said.
Investigators did not provide any offender descriptions in the alert. However, a witness to the Ulta burglary said the crew got a white SUV.
Anyone with information about the burglaries can contact Area Three detectives at 312-744-8263 regarding crime pattern P20-3-229.