Northwest Side Chicago liquor store hires security after thieves keep coming back
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Logan Square neighborhood liquor store has taken a new security approach after being targeted by thieves five different times in the last 10 days.
Red Star Liquor & Deli, 2725 N. Milwaukee Ave., has been a staple in the community for more than 30 years. Now, for the first time ever, security officers are manning the property.
"We've got to do what we can do to protect our property, you know?" said owner Esam Hani. "But we can't close down either."
Red Star Liquor & Deli is a full-service liquor store with a vast selection of beer, wine, and spirits. In recent years, it expanded, and a deli was added with eight offerings for cold-cut sandwiches.
"We open up to give good service to our customers and our guests, and you know, people come for sandwiches—and then we have to change the way we operate on a day-to-day basis," Hani said. "It's disheartening, it doesn't make any sense."
Hani has owned the spot since it first opened in 1991, and this is the first time he has hired security.
"To protect my staff, I hired a security firm to stand here from open to close—which is extremely expensive," he said. "I have to absorb that cost now just to ensure the safety of my staff and my business."
Hani has been left furious while shelling out the money to prevent the group from coming in and stealing tequila a sixth time. In the fifth incident on Tuesday afternoon, several men in face masks were seen on camera—along with a woman with a baby in a stroller.
"And they would walk in and literally go to the shelves. As you can see, my shelves are completely empty on this side," Hani said, pointing out a whole section of the store that remained bare two days later. "They would go straight for the tequila, mostly, or the expensive bottles. They would just start taking them off the shelves and filling their bags."
In the video, store manager Bradley Johnson is standing behind the counter. He said the thieves filled a red bag with tequila.
"You got to keep calm, because you don't know how people are going to respond if you escalate the situation," Johnson said.
No words were exchanged during the theft, but action was taken—in addition to the security guards.
"We're going to build special doors and cages on our liquor—on the expensive stuff," said Hani, "and when they come in, there's no way they can get to it and just grab it."
Hani hopes these new measures will keep the crooks away from Red Star and the tequila.
"At the end of the day, it's about safety—and making sure that all of us go home safe," he said.
Hani said security officers will remain as long as they are needed.
Meanwhile in a sad coincidence, Johnson—the man working at the deli—is the uncle of the gentleman killed at a Cicero liquor store just last week while trying to stop thieves.
