Up to 16 Wilmette businesses burgled in pre-dawn raid, stolen car flees to Chicago
A crew hit as many as 16 businesses across Wilmette, Illinois, in under two hours early Thursday. Eight further burglaries struck Evanston's Central Street the same night.
Smash-and-grab crew targets Wilmette businesses in coordinated pre-dawn burglaries
A group of offenders struck as many as 16 commercial premises across Wilmette, Illinois, in the early hours of Thursday, 12 November, therecordnorthshore.org reports, citing a press release from Wilmette Police Department. Eight further burglaries on Central Street in neighbouring Evanston are believed to have occurred around the same time.
Wilmette police first received a call at 3:47 a.m. reporting a burglary at a business on the 100 block of Skokie Boulevard. Surveillance footage showed up to four individuals in the area for fewer than five minutes, during which up to nine businesses were hit.
At 4:09 a.m., while officers were still on scene on Skokie Boulevard, a second call came in reporting a possible burglary in Village Center — specifically the 1100 blocks of Wilmette and Central avenues — where at least seven further businesses were broken into.
Stolen vehicle flees on I-94, suspects flee on foot
Two Wilmette officers spotted a suspicious vehicle near Village Center and attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle refused to stop and fled southbound toward Chicago on Interstate 94 via Lake Avenue. A Chicago Police helicopter assisted in tracking the car. Several alleged offenders were subsequently seen exiting the vehicle and fleeing on foot, according to the police release. The car was later recovered and identified as stolen from Oak Forest, a southwest suburb of Chicago.
Wilmette police described the incidents as consistent with a pattern seen across the wider region. "These crimes follow a similar pattern that other regional communities have experienced, in which a group of offenders carry out a high volume of burglaries to businesses in a very short period," the release states. "Offenders break through windows or glass doors of businesses and spend a limited amount of time in each business searching for cash or other valuables."
Cash registers and tablets taken; restaurant owner speaks out
Among the businesses targeted in downtown Wilmette were Central Station Coffee & Tea, at 1150 Central Ave., and Pit & Tap restaurant, at 1168 Wilmette Ave. In both cases a front window was broken to gain entry and at least one cash register was stolen.
Pit & Tap owner Michael Clarke told The Record he received a call from police at around 7:30 a.m. informing him of the break-in. Security footage from the restaurant captured at least four individuals dressed in dark clothing. Two entered through a broken window and removed two cash registers and two tablets; a third stood on the sidewalk while a car waited outside.
"It's very disheartening to have this happen and I feel like there is nothing that could've been done to prevent it from an owner's perspective," Clarke said. "We have visible cameras on the exterior of the building, but it's not a deterrent." Clarke said the restaurant hoped to reopen by happy hour that same day.
At Central Station, the glass pane of the front door was shattered and a cash register was taken, according to the shop's Instagram account. The primary location on Central Avenue was closed Thursday, though a satellite location inside the Wilmette Metra station remained operational.
Regional agencies collaborate on investigation
Wilmette and Evanston police are working together and coordinating with other regional law enforcement agencies to investigate the burglaries, the press release states. No arrests had been announced at the time of reporting.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)