Central Street and Wilmette hit by smash and grabs

Nine businesses along Central Street in Evanston and 16 more in Wilmette were hit by smash-and-grab burglars early Thursday morning. In Evanston, police Cmdr. Chelsea Brown said officers responded to burglar alarms around 4 a.m. on Central Street. Central Street’s business district director, Angela Schaffer, said the impacted businesses include Mustard’s Last Stand, The Spot, Preston’s Florist, Hewn Bakery, the Christian Science Reading Room, Custom Eyes, Bluestone, The Spice House and Pinto Thai Kitchen. Schaffer said EPD assisted in patrolling the street Thursday morning as businesses boarded up their windows. “Evanston detectives are investigating a possible link to similar incidents in Wilmette,” Brown said, adding that “detectives have begun reviewing surveillance footage for clues about who may have been involved.” She said no one is in custody for the crimes. The Village of Wilmette, in a statement Thursday, said 16 of its businesses were burglarized or attempted to be burglarized between 3:45 and 4:09 a.m., with “offenders targeting cash at each of the businesses.” A village crime alert sent Thursday afternoon said that nine of the businesses were in the 100 block of Skokie Boulevard and seven were in the village center in the 1100 blocks of Wilmette and Central Avenues. Wilmette Police said that officers responded to the 100 block of Skokie Boulevard at 3:47 a.m. and said surveillance footage showed “the offenders were in the 100 block of Skokie Boulevard for less than five minutes before fleeing the area.” Wilmette Police said two officers also located a “suspicious vehicle” within its Village Center and attempted a traffic stop of the vehicle, but said, “it refused to stop and accessed I-94 from Lake Avenue.” A Chicago Police helicopter was used to locate the vehicle and observed several people fleeing on foot, Wilmette Police said. Officers recovered the stolen vehicle but said no arrests had been made. “The Wilmette Police Department’s preliminary investigation indicates that a group of individuals in a single vehicle were responsible for the burglaries,” Wilmette Police said, adding that they believe the “individuals used a vehicle that was reported to have been stolen in the early morning from the City of Oak Forest.” Wilmette said it was collaborating with the Evanston Police Department in its ongoing investigation. In a post on Facebook, the owners of Pinto said no one was hurt and the business had cleaned everything up by Thursday morning. Schaffer said cash was stolen from the business, though. “We are grateful for the support, kindness, and care shown by our wonderful community,” they said. “Let’s continue to support our Central Street businesses and stand together during difficult times.” Bluestone also asked for support, adding that the restaurant was open for business on Thursday. “We are so grateful to our staff, neighbors, and customers for rallying around us,” Bluestone said. “If you’d like to show your support, please visit a local Central Street business today—we would all appreciate it.” The Spice House said it was open Thursday after a “quick clean-up” Thursday morning. Schaffer told Evanston Now in a phone call Thursday that Hewn’s bakers were inside when the burglars first broke in. Hewn posted on social media that it was “thankful no one was hurt” and thanked the community and police for the quick response. Schaffer asked the community for support, with Central Street planning its annual holiday stroll and tree lighting this Saturday . Related