FRANKFORT, Ill. (WLS) — Reports from local police indicate that over a dozen businesses in the south suburban area were subjected to smash-and-grab burglaries in the early hours of Friday morning.
The town of Mokena experienced incidents at seven businesses, with six along Route 30 and one on LaGrange Road. Additionally, three businesses in Frankfort and another three in Tinley Park were also targeted, according to Mokena police.
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Following a report of a burglary in the 20200-block of LaGrange Road around 4:30 a.m., Frankfort police rushed to the scene. An eyewitness informed dispatchers that several suspects arrived in a grey sedan and proceeded to break the glass of three businesses within the complex.
The suspects entered the businesses, took items and drove away, police said.
Police said officers followed the suspect vehicle to Chicago, but the suspects got away.
The vehicle was found abandoned.
Police believe it was stolen from Calumet City.
Later Friday, there were a lot of repairs going on.
Some shops had already fixed their smashed doors; others now have boarded-up windows.
It’s a concerning trend for the suburban shops, whose owners said they don’t expect this kind of crime to happen in the area.
Surveillance video shows the reckless break-ins.
The suspects were seen quickly smashing their way through a Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Frankfort.
The suspects were all wearing masks, while grabbing the drawers from two cash registers before running out.
“In the morning, I woke up to a police officer at my door, saying, ‘hey, your shop has been robbed.’ So, we come outside, me and my brother, and we see the whole storefront smashed,” Tropical Smoothie Cafe owner Kush Patel said.
Patel just opened up his shop in Frankfort in November, and now he has thousands of dollars in repairs.
“It’s actually very frustrating, knowing the cost exceeds the profits right now. With all this happening, it can get very costly, but hopefully insurance will be there to assist us,” Patel said.
A nail salon next-door was also hit.
Video shows the suspects smashing their way through with a rock.
The owner said nothing was taken, but this is the third time someone has tried stealing from his store.
That’s the case for many shops in the strip mall near Route 30 and LaGrange Road.
Employees at a Great Clips said Friday morning’s burglary attempt was also their third incident in recent months.
“We keep it all hidden, and leave the drawer on top. So they’re like. ‘hey, there’s nothing here. Let’s just go,'” Great Clips employee Daniela Gutierrez said.
Earlier this week, over 20 commercial burglaries were reported in west suburban Downers Grove.
On Monday, a man in with a hood and mask on did the same thing at Taco Maya on Butterfield Road. Surveillance video shows him coming away with the cash register drawer.
“He just told me like yesterday, ‘be careful.’ And then it happened here,” Patel said.
No one is in custody.
South suburban police continue to investigate. Anyone with information should call Mokena police at (708) 479-3912 or Frankfort police at 815-469-9435.
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