CHICAGO – A burglary crew broke into four businesses in less than an hour Monday morning, stealing smoking paraphernalia and attempting to take ATMs, Chicago police said.

The burglaries started just after 3 a.m. at a corner store in the 1300 block of North Homan.

The group then hit three stores on Western Avenue between 3:40 a.m. and 3:51 a.m., according to a CPD alert:

  • Blaze Chicago, 1101 North Western Avenue
  • El Magico Barber Shop, 2145 North Western Avenue
  • St. Lucia’s Smoke Shop, 2075 North Western Avenue

According to the alert, the group consisted of five black men wearing black hoodies, gray sweatpants, black ski masks and gloves. They traveled in a black Chevy Equinox from 2017 to 2022, CPD said.

Detectives from Area Three and Area Five are investigating. You can reach them at 312-744-8263 or 312-746-7394.

CWBChicago was founded in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had become discouraged by the inaccurate information provided during local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has since expanded to 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 more detail than mainstream media. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com