Home invasion is latest in wave of Lakeview crime

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A woman woke up to find a stranger in her home in the 3000-block of North Sheffield, the latest in a rising wave of crime in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.

Chicago police say an offender entered the home without using force and stole clothing, credit cards and the resident's car keys. He then stole her car. The resident says she was awoken by the offender and caught off guard by the invasion, which occurred around 11:15 p.m.. She was afraid, but not physically injured.

The home invasion comes only a few days after police issued an alert after five armed robberies were reported in Lakeview between May 16 and May 20. Lakeview businesses are also being targeted by burglars. Residents have gathered at community meetings to try to come up with ways to combat the rising crime.

"You think you'd feel safe in a neighborhood like Lakeview but that's pretty unsettling, to hear there's been some robberies in the neighborhood," says Darcie Diamond, resident.

Some residents say that while they are aware of the crime, they still feel safe in their neighborhood.

"Last summer my bike was stolen out of my backyard," said one resident. "Locked up and everything. Somebody just clipped the lock and took it out. But other than that I don't feel unsafe. I feel very safe walking around late at night. There's a lot of people around."

"It's not a problem that is new to this city, we're just seeing it in neighborhoods that are a little bit more well-off and developed, but these things happen all the time in this city, on the West Side and the South Side," says Robet Valentin, resident.

Valentin says resources are not equally distributed in the city, and he sees the robberies as symptoms of a larger problem.

"A lot of these people are acting out of need. I don't think it's right, but I also think we need to take a more holistic approach to how we're viewing this," he says."

Other residents say they are concerned about arsons. There were apparently a string of arsons in Lakeview in the summer of 2015 and residents are concerned about a recurrence this year. Now, with the rising robberies, they're unsure of what to expect.