Crime & Safety
Axe-Armed Burglars Raid 2nd Tobacco Shop of Month
The cops were called over the weekend to the second tobacco shop burglary of the month. The two cases, though at different stores, share quite a few similarities.
were called to a local smoke shop on Sunday where burglars used an axe to shatter the storefront before stealing about 100 cartons of Newport cigarettes.
The incident mirrors a at 8005 W. 183rd St., , in which suspects also used an axe to shatter glass before filling empty garbage cans with cigs.
Officers were notified of Sunday's incident at Smokey Top, 7301 183rd St., by a burglar alarm that was activated shortly before 3 a.m., according to the police report. The owner of the shop reviewed the in-store camera footage with police, which shows a dark-colored SUV parking on the south side of the business at 2:48 a.m.
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Then two people are shown getting out of the vehicle—one wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black pants and another wearing a white hooded sweatshirt and black pants. They were also wearing gloves, the report said.
The suspects are shown taking two Rubbermaid totes from the back of the vehicle. One grabs an axe and—just like in the June 1 incident—uses it to shatter the window.
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The two are then shown removing the cartons of cigarettes before fleeing eastbound in the SUV.
The case remained under investigation on June 20.
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