Chicago police investigating West Garfield Park crash-and-grab burglary, 2 arrested
West Town residents meet, call on city to address crime
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Two people are in custody after the latest crash-and-grab burglary on Chicago's West Side, this time in West Garfield Park.
In the latest crash and grab burglary, police said thieves used a pickup truck to smash into a clothing store called Tops and Bottoms at about 11:24 p.m. in the 3900-block of Madison Street.
"We definitely know how much they took. They took tens of thousands of dollars of product," said owner Ahmed Kassim.
Kassim spent the last week watching friends' businesses being hit in a similar manner by the same kind of criminal. He requested permission from the city place planters on Madison Avenue to protect his storefront, but didn't hear back in time to prevent becoming a victim himself.
"You want to hit the store, right? You want to damage the store, but you really damaging the people working here," he said. "They have lives. You hit the store and now we're out of service, we're out of commission for I don't know how long."
Unlike previous crash and grabs police were able to arrest two suspects who they said were still inside the store when they arrived on the scene. Charges are pending.
The incident brings the number of crash and grabs across the city over the last week up to at least eight. In a community alert from Sunday night released by Chicago police, it is clear CPD believes this is an operation involving multiple people who may or may not be the same from one incident to the next.
The most recent one before this was reported Tuesday morning in Wicker Park, where surveillance video shows the moment a stolen Jeep was used to crash into Round Two. Ultimately however, the crew, of at least five thieves was unable to gain access.
Wednesday morning, community members, accompanied by 36th Ward Alderman Gil Villegas, called on Mayor Brandon Johnson to meet with them on November 14 to discuss a plan to combat not just the smash and grabs but crime in general across the city.
"In our community right now what we've seen is armed robberies, what we've seen is burglaries what we've seen is shootings," Alderman Villegas said. "What we've seen is carjackings in the community has had enough"
SEE ALSO: Chicago police issue alert after string of crash-and-grab burglaries
Those at the meeting called on the city to among other things, reopen what used to be the 13th Police District on Wood Street, saying that they can see a direct correlation between its closure and the uptick of crime in that specific area.
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