Thief breaks into South Side restaurant by cutting hole in roof, then wall into business next door
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police are investigating break-ins at two restaurants right next to each other in which they said thieves got in by making a hole in the ceiling.
The manager at Wayne's BBQ & Cajun in the city's Fuller Park neighborhood said this isn't the first time his store has been burglarized. He said thieves typically break through the front glass door, but this time police say they cut a hole in roof, leaving behind a lot of damage.
"See! They cut a hole right there," said manager Tony Zheng. "The back door - no damage. You know, everything's good, you know?"
The burglar took a route from a hole in the ceiling, through the kitchen and to an ATM, where they broke open the machine and got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.
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"Before it happened, people broke the window two times. They break the window and come into here, stole my register, you know? This time it's a bit different," said Zheng.
Police said the break-in happened while the restaurant was closed between the hours of 9 p.m. Tuesday and shortly before opening at 10 a.m. Wednesday. But investigators said they didn't stop at just one restaurant; they also broke into New Grand Chinese Kitchen right next door.
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The manager of that restaurant did not want to comment on camera, but said at least one suspect was able to get into their business by crawling and breaking through a wall in their back bathroom. Once inside, the culprit nearly emptied their case of lottery tickets.
Both businesses were back up and running just hours after the break-ins, while police are working to learn more about the suspect.
Managers at both restaurants said police are reviewing security video. At this time, no one is in custody.
