PILSEN — Three businesses along Pilsen’s 18th Street were broken into in less than 30 minutes early Saturday, police and the area’s alderman said.
Between 5:55-6:15 a.m. Saturday morning, a group of people broke into three restaurants on the neighborhood’s business corridor, police spokesperson Kellie Bartoli said.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez’s 25th Ward office confirmed those businesses were Azul 18, 1236 W. 18th St.; La Vaca Margarita Bar, 1160 W. 18th St.; and Taqueria el Mezquite, 1756 W. 18th St.
Investigators haven’t determined if the three break-ins are connected or if the same group of people are involved, Bartoli said.
Three men broke the glass door at Taqueria el Mezquite and went inside, but didn’t take anything before fleeing, Bartoli said.
At La Vaca, a group of three men shattered a window and went inside the restaurant, Bartoli said. Part of the inside of the restaurant was damaged, and the group took off with cash boxes, she said. It’s unclear how much money was in the cash boxes.
A group of people shattered the glass door at Azul 18 and entered the business, Bartoli said. This group also damaged interior parts of the restaurants and took a safe containing an unknown amount of money, she said.
The group in this incident was captured on surveillance fleeing in a blue vehicle westbound on 18th Street, according to a social media post made by the restaurant. Police confirmed the group fled west in a blue car.
Detectives are investigating. No one has been arrested.
The owners of Azul 18, La Vaca and Taqueria el Mezquite couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.