A Chicago man jumped from a third-floor balcony as police moved in to arrest him for a series of business burglaries, mainly in West Town, officials said. Prosecutors also accused two other men of helping him with some of the crimes.
Charvale Bass, 23, is charged with six counts of burglary and possession of burglary tools for the crimes, which were allegedly recorded by surveillance cameras.
The first burglary that Bass is charged with occurred at Crater Foods, 1148 North Milwaukee, around 2:30 a.m. on March 2. Video showed a gray Nissan park behind the business and Bass prying open the door with 51-year-old Wilbert Bass, prosecutors said. Officials did not reveal if Wilbert and Charvale Bass are related.
Charvale Bass took bottles of alcohol while Wilbert Bass broke the register and stole money, according to the allegations.
On April 15, Charvale Bass allegedly committed a similar break-in to steal a safe from Output Bar, 1758 West Grand. Leeric Walker, 27, is accused of acting as his lookout.
Charvale is also accused of burglarizing Beetle Bar and Grill, 2532 West Chicago Avenue, on April 14; Burger Baron, 1381 West Grand, on April 29; and Don’s Grill, 1837 South Western Avenue, on May 15.
Chicago police used the city’s camera network to track the Don’s Grill burglar, and they secured a warrant to put a GPS tracker on the car on May 22, prosecutors said.
Detectives were following the car on May 31 when they were informed of a burglar alarm at Slide Bar, 939 South Western Avenue, around 4 a.m. The cops arrived in time to find the bar’s front window shattered and the burglar’s car parked in front.
Prosecutors said Walker was standing nearby, and Wilbert Bass was driving up and down the block on a stolen scooter.
Charvale Bass was driving the GPS-tracked car, prosecutors said. He allegedly ditched the vehicle as cops moved in, then ran into a building to hide, only to jump from the third floor in an ill-conceived escape attempt, prosecutors said.
He was treated at a hospital for a leg injury and released. Judge Susana Ortiz ordered him to pay a $2,000 bail deposit to get out of jail.
Walker, who is on parole for robbery, is charged with two counts of burglary. State officials are planning to revoke his parole, prosecutors said. If he becomes eligible for release, he must pay a $2,500 bail deposit.
Wilbert Bass has eight previous felony convictions and is on probation for burglary. Ortiz ordered him to pay a $4,000 bail deposit.
Ortiz ordered the men must go on electronic monitoring if they post bail.