CHICAGO – Burglars used chains to pull open the doors of a Morgan Park restaurant in an apparent attempt to steal the business’s ATM on Christmas morning. The crime occurred about 12 hours after Chicago police issued an alert about 18 similar burglaries reported in the area since September.
Police responded to a burglary at El Gallo, 2547 West 111th Street, around 5:25 a.m. Wednesday. They found the front doors of the business had been compromised and determined that burglars likely used chains to force the doors open, according to preliminary information.
The crew reportedly damaged the restaurant’s ATM but were unable to release the cash reserve.
On Tuesday evening, Area Two detectives issued a community alert about similar burglaries. Investigators suspect that the same people are responsible for all the crimes.
According to the alert, burglars enter businesses by placing chains on the front doors and using a stolen vehicle to pull the doors off. Once inside, the thieves steal cash registers, ATMs, tobacco products and other items.
Detectives have linked 18 burglaries to the crime pattern. They appeared in:
- the 10600 block of South Torrence on September 8
- the 10700 block of South Wentworth on September 17
- the first block of West 79th Street, September 26
- 1600 block of West Monterey, September 26
- 8500 block of South Ashland, Oct. 6
- 13300 block of South Brainard, Oct. 30
- 2300 block of West 111th Street, Nov. 14
- 10200 block of South Vincennes, Nov. 22
- 2500 block of East 87th Street, Nov. 22
- 3900 block of East 106th Street, Nov. 25
- 2600 block of East 79th Street, December 4
- 11600 block of South Halsted, Dec. 10
- 7800 block of South Cottage Grove, Dec. 17
- 8800 block of South Ashland, December 17
- 400 block of East 83rd Street, December 17
- 11100 block of South Halsted, December 20
- 100 block of East 75th Street, December 24
- 100 block of West 103rd Street, December 24
Investigators only described the burglars as “multiple perpetrators wearing dark clothing, including hoodies and masks.” Anyone with information about the crimes can contact Area Two at 312-747-8273 regarding crime pattern #24-2-020(b)CA.
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