Burglary Crew Uses SUV and Chain to Rip ATM from Chicago Store Amid 8-Neighborhood Spree

CHICAGO, IL — The Chicago Police Department has issued a community warning following an aggressive multi-neighborhood commercial burglary spree, highlighted by dramatic surveillance video showing thieves ripping an ATM out of a storefront using an SUV and a heavy chain.

The incidents took place on Monday, January 26, 2026. According to investigators, an organized burglary crew targeted multiple businesses across eight distinct Chicago neighborhoods in a single night. The group's methods were aggressive, relying on physical force and vehicles to execute quick-strike heists.

Brutal Force Captured on Camera

Surveillance footage from one of the targeted retail stores shows the crew backing a sport utility vehicle (SUV) up to the shattered entrance. The suspects quickly wrapped heavy chains around the store's ATM before the driver accelerated, violently tearing the heavy cash terminal from its floor mounts. The group then loaded the machine into the vehicle and sped away.

This brazen heist was part of a larger pattern that prompted a formal community alert from police detectives. The crew is suspected of striking businesses across various districts, leaving behind major structural damage at each site.

Police are advising store owners to take extra precautions, including reinforcing storefront barriers, installing bollards to prevent vehicles from backing into windows, and using high-security anchoring systems for indoor ATMs. Area detectives are actively analyzing the surveillance video and tracking the vehicle details in connection with the multi-site crime wave.