Crime News Update

Editor's note: The crime news reported by the Southwest Chicago Post---taken directly from Chicago Police Department incident reports---is not by any means an exhaustive catalogue of all crime reported in the Chicago Lawn (8th) District. For example, it typically does not include news of crimes committed in the eastern and southern sectors of the district---because the Southwest Chicago Post's coverage area is primarily the neighborhoods that border Midway Airport and secondarily because including the relatively large volume of crime news from elsewhere in the district would be a logistical challenge. We make this note to offer a little helpful perspective and remind everyone that while crime is definitely a concern in all parts of the district (as it always has been), crime remains relatively low overall in Sector 1. May all of us work together diligently to keep it that way. May all of us also remember that a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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Burglars broke through a back fence, cut the telephone line, disabled the alarm system, broke through a glass panel at the bottom of a door, crawled inside the Potbelly Sandwich Shop at 5709 S. Harlem and stole $2,014 in cash.

Damaged back fence at 5709 S. Harlem.

The crime occurred some time between 9:30 p.m. Sunday, November 4 (when a manager locked up and left) and 8:20 a.m. Monday, November 5, when a manager and a clerk (a 24-year-old Glendale Heights woman and a 40-year-old Pilsen woman) discovered that the cash registers had been opened and damaged and that the safe had been pried open.

Smashed window (just beyond chair)

A manager told police that she had noticed that the phones were out of order Sunday night; but simply thought there was a malfunction that she would have corrected on Monday.

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An 18-year-old Brighton Park man told police he was robbed of his cellphone at 11:28 a.m. Monday, November 5 on the sidewalk in front of a computer repair store at 5032 South Archer.

The victim said he was walking toward Keeler when two teenage thugs approached and asked for the correct time. When he checked his phone to find the time, one of the robbers demanded that he turn over the phone. When the victim said "No," one of the crooks put his hand in his hoodie (implying he had a weapon) and said "Look, if you don't want me to shoot, give me your phone."

The victim handed over his phone, and the robbers ran away east toward Pulaski. The victim chased, but lost sight of them.

He described them to police as a black boy age 14, 5'9 to 5'11 and 140-160 pounds, brown eyes, black hair, medium complexion, wearing a black hat, light blue jeans, and a dark blue jacket over a black hoodie. The other was described as an Asian boy age 14, 5'5 to 5'8 and 125-140 pounds, brown eyes, black hair, medium complexion.

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Burglars entered the side door of a garage near 60th and Tripp and stole an auto diagnostic computer and miscellaneous hand tools.

The crime was discovered by the victim, a 72-year-old woman, at 7:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 6.

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Burglars forced their way into a garage near 60th and Kildare and stole over 150 tools.

The crime was discovered by the victim, a 31-year-old man, at 6:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 6 when he came home from work.

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Burglars broke a rear window of a home near 65th and Tripp, crawled inside and stole a Nintendo DS video game system.

The victim, a 23-year-old woman, was home at the time but was working in the attic and apparently did not hear the criminals.

The crime occurred between 10:00 a.m. and noon Monday, November 5.

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Want to work directly with Chicago Police to prevent crime in your neighborhood? If you live in Beat 812 (see map above), come to St. Symphorosa School (gymnasium) at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 14. Hear updates on crime in your neighborhood and learn how you can work with neighbors and police to make the community safer and better for all.

 

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