A Cicero man is facing felony charges after police say he was caught burglarizing Chicago Police Department squad cars and Chicago Fire Department vehicles inside the city’s motor vehicle maintenance yard in Fuller Park.
Andres Estrada, 26, was arrested shortly after midnight on Monday, September 29, when security officers at the city yard, located at 5219 South Wentworth Avenue, reported seeing him hiding between vehicles, according to a CPD arrest report.
Officers searched the lot and spotted Estrada, who made eye contact with them before bolting toward a fence, police said. He allegedly dropped a backpack containing power drills, a ratchet set, drill bits, and siren wires as he fled.
A CPD helicopter was called to the area and quickly located a heat signature that turned out to be Estrada. While in custody, Estrada allegedly told investigators he was only acting as a lookout.
Police later recovered a second bag that they say contained stolen equipment, including four Ford hubcaps, two CPD radios, two police lights, two motherboards, a Chicago Fire Department radio, and “a bundle of multi-colored siren wires.”
Judge Shauna Boliker released Estrada pending trial on charges of burglary and possession of burglary tools.
