Restaurant owners kidnapped in Little Village, forced at gunpoint to withdraw money from ATMs

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Two restaurant owners were kidnapped and forced into a crime spree on Chicago's Southwest Side early Thursday morning, Chicago police said.

Chicago police are still looking for suspects who brazenly forced the victims to pull money from ATMs.

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It all happened around 3 a.m. in the 3400-block of West 26th Street in Little Village. CPD said a 48-year-old man and 39-year-old woman were about to go into their restaurant, Los Tamales de la Tia, when a dark SUV pulled up and five suspects jumped out.

Police say three of them were armed with guns.

"Then i saw three males with guns coming toward us," said Yessenia, who asked to only be identified by her first name and not appear on camera ."And two of them tell us to give them the money."

Most of the crime was captured on a nearby security camera.

"They were threatening to kill me all the time. They never removed their guns from our faces," she said.

The suspects first robbed the two owners, rummaged through their car, then robbed the restaurant, which had opened just five months ago.

"Then they got upset because it wasn't enough money, so they started hitting me on my shoulder and my head," Yessenia said.

Yessenia's husband was repeatedly pistol whipped. The thieves then forced the victims into the suspects' blue SUV, driving them to multiple ATMs to take out cash. Yessenia said they repeatedly threatened to kill her husband and harm her family.

"I got really scared but I knew if it came to a point, I wasn't going to let them get home," she said.

They were forced to use ATMs in the 3100-block of West 26th Street and the 1900-block of West 21st Street, Chicago police said.

CPD said the suspects then let the victims go and drove off.

The whole ordeal lasted a terrifying 30 minutes.

"I will keep praying for them to find the right path and I will keep praying for our neighborhood and for us," said Yessenia.

It's unclear how much money the armed robbers got away with or if they targeted anyone else. Area Three detectives are investigating.

"I live right down the street from where this happened. This is absolutely terrible," said 22nd Ward Ald. Michael Rodriguez.

There is now a push for more police officers along the business corridor. Rodriguez said vendors and business owners have been common targets for robbers.

"We had a string of these some years ago, but we've talked to the county sheriff and the 10th District police. We will have more patrols, lighting patrols on 26th Street in the morning over the next couple of days to prevent any of this from happening again," he said.

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