Nine Central Street storefronts hit by coordinated smash-and-grab burglaries

At least nine storefronts along Central Street near Green Bay Road had their windows or doors smashed in early Thursday morning in a series of apparent smash-and-grab burglaries, with more than a dozen more reported in neighboring Wilmette. The hits began before 4 a.m., as shown by security camera footage shared by Mustard’s Last Stand, 1613 Central St. The footage shows two masked people entering the hot dog stand at 3:54 a.m. through a broken window, taking some cash out of the register and leaving within 30 seconds. Moving west from there, the group also hit: The Spot, 1700 Central St. Preston’s Florist, 1726 Central St. Hewn, 1733 Central St. Pinto Thai, 1931 Central St. Bluestone, 1932 Central St. Christian Science Reading Room, 1936 Central St. CustomEyes, 1939 Central St. The Spice House, 1941 Central St. Ellen King, the co-owner of Hewn, said the bakery was broken into around 3:57 a.m. when a few bakers were inside, and the burglars fled before taking anything inside. She said surveillance footage showed it was a coordinated group effort: a car pulled up and three people ran across the street to Preston’s and two ran up to Hewn while the driver stayed inside. “We saw it on camera, where they thought about smashing our window. And then they went to the door and smashed it,” King said. “We haven’t had a break-in like that.” Click on any of the photos above to view them in more detail. Similar smash-and-grab tactics were used in the burglaries of three downtown Evanston businesses in September, and in other recent incidents in Chicago and Skokie . Evanston Police Cmdr. Chelsea Brown wrote in an emailed statement that police responded to burglar alarms and reports of broken windows at 4 a.m. She confirmed that some businesses reported stolen items, including cash and a cash register. “Evanston detectives are investigating a possible link to similar incidents in Wilmette,” Brown wrote. “Detectives have begun reviewing surveillance footage for clues about who may have been involved.” In a news release issued later Tuesday afternoon, EPD confirmed it has not taken anyone into custody in connection to the burglaries. North of Central Street, 16 more businesses in two areas of Wilmette were hit by similar smash-and-grab burglaries between 3:45 and 4:09 a.m. Thursday, according to a news release from the Wilmette Police Department. Officers located a “suspicious vehicle” close to the Village Center area shortly after 4 a.m. and attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle fled to I-94. “Subsequently, a Chicago Police helicopter was used to locate the vehicle and observed several of the offenders fleeing on foot,” the statement reads. “Wilmette Officers have recovered the stolen vehicle, and evidence technicians are processing the vehicle for evidence; however, no arrests have been made at this time.” A preliminary investigation found that the car had been stolen earlier the same morning from Oak Forest in the southwest suburbs, per Wilmette police. Back in Evanston, employees at Preston’s, CustomEyes and the Christian Science Reading Room told the RoundTable nothing appeared to have been taken from their stores and that they were able to open as usual. Bluestone said in an email to customers that it also opened Thursday and that replacing its windows “will likely take about one to three weeks.” Click on any of the photos above to view them in more detail. The Spot owner Otto Ade told the RoundTable he found glass trailing from the smashed door to behind the bar, which was “in complete disarray.” “Cash register on the floor, [point of sale] system on the floor, glass is broken, things strewn about,” Ade said. “So they were clearly after the cash in the register, which was cashless.” He said the break-in disrupted the restaurant’s entire day, and although nothing was taken, “it’s not really about the money.” “It’s just about feeling violated, you know, and you think about these small businesses and people that are struggling,” Ade said. “I’m sure there’s some businesses that got hit a lot harder than we did.” Angela Shaffer, executive director of the Central Street Evanston business district, said she was on the ground documenting the damage and checking in with the business owners on if they needed support. She added that on top of the police response, other city staff were visiting the businesses too, including City Manager Luke Stowe and Economic Development Manager Paul Zalmezak. “It’s unfortunate, but I’m hoping that as a result of it, it will remind people that you need to come out and support these small businesses,” Shaffer said. “All we can do is just be there for them.” She said that residents can show some of that support at the district’s annual holiday stroll and tree lighting , which is still on for Saturday afternoon and evening. The tree lighting begins at 5 p.m. in Independence Park, 2726 Stewart Ave. Related Stories