7 charged with phone thefts at Lollapalooza; more than 120 devices recovered

Seven people, all from out of town, are accused of stealing or possessing stolen phones at Lollapalooza last weekend, according to CPD records. One man was allegedly carrying 44 stolen phones. Another allegedly had 31.

Chicago police recovered more than 120 phones at the four-day festival, CPD First Deputy Supt. Eric Carter said Monday.

Top: Adriana Avellaneda; Luis Emilio Contreras-Castro; Juan Barrera-Ramirez; and Manuel Edgney Gonzalez. Bottom: Adriana Guiterrez-Marino; Gilberto Marrero; Orlis Luis Martinez Cruz | CPD; Lollpalooza

Four Florida men each possessed “numerous iPhones” when police arrested them together on the 300 block of East Balbo at 5:17 p.m. Saturday, according to CPD reports.

  • Orlis Luis Martinez Cruz, 26, of suburban Miami, was charged with ten counts of theft and then released on a recognizance bond.
  • Manuel Edgney Gonzalez, 26, of Orlando, was released on a recognizance bond after being charged with ten counts of theft.
  • Adrian Gutierrez-Mariano, 31, of Miami, was charged with eight counts of theft and released on a recognizance bond.
  • Luis Emilio Contreras-Castro, 55, of Miami, was released on a recognizance bond after being charged with eight counts of theft.

Other individuals charged are:

  • Juan C. Barrera-Ramirez, 36, of New York City. He had 36 phones in a bag and eight phones on his person when police arrested him on the 900 block of South Columbus at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, according to a CPD report. He was released on a recognizance bond after being charged with fourteen counts of theft of lost or mislaid property.
  • Adriana Avellaneda, 44, of suburban Los Angeles, allegedly had 31 phones in a backpack when police arrested her near a row of portable toilets on the 800 block of South Columbus at 8:17 p.m. Friday. She was released on a recognizance bond after being charged with one count of theft of lost or mislaid property and one count of criminal trespass to land.
  • Gilberto Marrero, 36, of Miami, was charged with three counts of theft of lost or mislaid property after police arrested him in the 500 block of South Columbus at 10:30 p.m. Thursday. He was released on a recognizance bond.

The exact number of thefts reported during the four-day concert festival won’t be known until the city releases the weekend’s crime data, which is embargoed for seven days.

At least 209 thefts were reported during Lollapalooza 2019, and 121 were reported during 2018, according to city records. It’s likely that many more phones were stolen but the cases were classified as “lost property” by police.

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com