Rash of gun thefts from cars alarms neighbors in Chicago's South Loop
CHICAGO (CBS) -- In Chicago's South Loop, Chicago Police have outlined a rash of recent car break-ins where the thieves are looking for guns.
A Chicago Police bulletin was issued Sunday about the thefts, which happened between Sunday, July 21, and just this past Saturday in the nighttime and early-morning hours.
In each incident, the thieves either entered an unlocked cart or broke the passenger-side window and took property from inside. Police listed 15 different incidents on the community alert—noting that a gun was stolen from the car the thieves targeted in all those incidents but one.
Most of the thefts listed by police—eight in all—happened in the 2200 block of South Wabash Avenue. Cars were also targeted around the corner on the first block of East Cermak Road, on the two blocks to the north and one to the south on Wabash Avenue, and half a block east in the 2200 and 2400 blocks of South Michigan Avenue.
Eric Vinson moved to the area not long ago, and does more walking than driving. Yet he, like so many, is shocked about the police bulletin.
"I feel a certain about of car theft is to be expected in a big city, but it seems targeted that they're all guns," Vinson said. "That is interesting."
The CBS News Investigators found the trend of guns being stolen out of cars is up significantly in the last 10 years.
According to data collected and analyzed by the CBS News Data Team, 709 guns were stolen from car break-ins in 2023—a total of 40% of gun thefts last year.
Of those, 103 of the guns were stolen because thieves stole the car, and the gun was inside. Chicago Police said that is exactly what has been playing out on Cermak Road and on Wabash and Michigan avenues in the South Loop.
The question does remain—how would a thief know a gun was in a car they targeted at 11:30 p.m. or 2 a.m.—the timeframe during which the thefts happened?
"I am left wondering that, and that feels very problematic to me," said Vinson. "It makes me feel a little unsafe."
Of course, car break-ins are not new in Chicago—nor are car thefts. The CBS News data team discovered stolen guns, however, have added a new twist.
When the guns are stolen, they are often used in robberies—and in many cases murders too.
"The reason that it matters so much, and Chicago certainly knows this, is because every gun stolen from a car increases the chance it could be used in a violent crime," said Sarah Burd-Sharps, senior director of research at Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. "It goes from the legal market to the illegal market."
It is not clear where the guns stolen from the cars in the South Loop will end up next.