Burglars are smashing into people's cars in West Loop garage, and those owners are not alone
CHICAGO (CBS) -- One West Loop parking garage has been hit with a rash of car burglaries lately – and people are waking up to find their car windows smashed out, with a sea of glass left behind.
As CBS 2's Jermont Terry reported Monday, we have found it is a growing problem across the downtown area.
It is also spiking across the entire city.
"Here in the West Loop, we pay a lot of money to live here people here," said Prentice Brown. "People here generally work."
That is one reason Brown, a resident of the Presidential Towers complex at 555 W. Madison St., is so upset.
Brown awoke Monday morning to find not only the window of his sport-utility vehicle smashed, but the same having happened to vehicle after vehicle.
There were up to 10 cars vandalized – all on different levels of the parking garage.
"It's like a kid in candy store," Brown said. "Like: 'Which one do I want today? Probably that one.'"
Brown has lived in the Presidential Towers for two years – and he is familiar with cleaning up broken glass.
"Twice in one year, two different cars, two different locations in the same building - my car got vandalized," Brown said.
Brown and other residents of the Presidential Tower pay to park in the public garage owned by LAZ.
"I don't mind it being a public lot," he said. My problem is I shouldn't feel fear going to or coming from that parking lot in particular - which is connected to this breezeway."
The breezeway in question leads to Brown's very home.
The garage has an attendant during the day, but at night, Brown says there is no attendant – nor cameras.
"Clearly, these guys know they can keep coming here and keep getting away with this," Brown said, 'because hey, no one's doing anything about it."
CBS 2 examined data. Across the Loop, more people are finding their vehicles damaged in parking garages.
There have been 101 such acts of vandalism in the first two quarters in 2023m, compared with just 53 in the same time period last year.
And when you look at cars stolen in private and public garages, 2023 is shaping up to surpass last year – with 105 vehicles stolen so far.
CBS 2's Terry asked Butler if he is thinking of parking in a different garage. He said he is thinking of going a step beyond that.
"I'm considering moving," he said, "because of the lack of communication between both establishments."
We reached out to LAZ, the owner of the garage. A company spokesman could not answer the specific questions about security at the West Loop parking structure Monday night, but said they are looking into it – and should have a response by Tuesday about what, if any, changes are coming.