Burglars crash Jeep into West Loop clothing store SVRN: VIDEO
CHICAGO (WLS) -- For the second time in less than a month the owners of SVRN are taking inventory of their losses after a crash-and-grab robbery.
At about 3:15 a.m., several cars pulled up to the apparel shop on North Aberdeen Street.
Surveillance video shows a Jeep SUV ramming repeatedly into the security gate, while another SUV pulls away a concrete barrier protecting the entrance of the store.
"We've done everything we could," owner David Kim said. "We've put barriers up. Gates and hiding our inventory in our stock room. And they're still relentless enough and no one is doing anything to stop these across the city"
Some neighborhood residents heard what they first thought was drag racing, only to learn it was a band of burglars breaking into the popular business that sells high end apparel and sneakers.
"It's shocking to see someone drive into that," said Femi Oietad, who works in the West Loop.
"I think it's pretty bad, to be honest. It sucks to see it," said neighborhood resident Adam Baulre.
Though police arrived relatively quickly, the thieves still got away with a ton of high-end footwear and apparel. The Kim brothers estimate the overnight losses at between $50-$100,000.
"If you keep this up, there's going to be nothing left for you guys to shop at," Robert Kim said. "Like, no more businesses."
"We're a small business," David Kim said. "We're not a big corporation. We give back to the community. Insurance is now hard to get for us. "
In the last couple of years, David and Robert Kim said SVRN has been the target of thieves more than half-a-dozen times.
"We've done everything we could. We've put barriers up. Gates and hiding our inventory in our stock room, and they're still relentless enough, and no one is doing anything to stop these across the city," David said.
They said they are desperate for city leaders to rein in property crimes against small businesses.
"I don't know how many more we can do until we just have to call it quits," David said. "And, you know, I love this city, and I have a lot of pride for this city, but I think that everyone that's in power needs to do a better job and look out for this community."
INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER Track crime and safety in your neighborhood
