Avondale car wash burglary caught on video, part of 3-crime spree

CHICAGO (WLS) -- It took burglars armed with a crowbar several minutes and a whole lot of elbow grease to break into an Avondale car wash, part of a three-burglary spree Wednesday night.

The thieves were armed with a crowbar, which they used to slowly pry open a steel security door at Neon Hand Car Wash.

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"This is incredible, like too much stuff going on in the city," said owner Faiz Khan.

Police said around 9:15 p.m. Wednesday, the two burglars rolled up in the alley in a white Hyundai SUV. Each had a crowbar.

The pair initially struggled with the back door but refused to give up. After bending part of it back the door still wouldn't budge, so one of them used his body weight, which finally did the trick.

Once inside, one thief storms into the office and tries with his crowbar to pry open the cash register, despite a key being left on the register in case of a break-in.

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"Just open it, take the cash and go," Khan said. "I did that, but unfortunately he just grabs the register and throw it on the floor and messed it up."

The now-destroyed register is worth much more than the petty cash inside, Khan said.

Police say that same day the thieves hit two other businesses in Wicker Park.

Business owners say there is a full-blown burglary crisis in the city. Khan appealed to city leaders.

"I need some action," he said. "Right now, we are hopeless."

Khan says his car wash just opened at the start of summer, but he's already wondering if he'll have to close.

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