Crime & Safety

Crooks Crash Stolen Van Into Best Buy, Take Off With Computers

Thieves drove their way in to the Tinley Park Best Buy over the weekend—literally. Breaking the store's overhead door allowed them to snag electronics before fleeing the scene. However, they didn't escape unnoticed.

Thieves drove a stolen utility van into an overhead door at the Best Buy early Sunday morning so they could break in and snag electronics.

The vehicle's driver then cruised by a responding officer near the entrance to the shopping center.  were dispatched to the store at 7330 W. 191st St. at 4:25 a.m. for an active burglary alarm, according to a report.

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An officer passing a "suspicious" van on his way to the scene took down its license plate number, police said, and later learned it was being reported stolen by owners of First Encore Inc., in Oak Forest. 

Officers said no one was inside the store when they got there. Along with the broken overhead door, they found a shattered interior glass door. A store manager was called to the scene to determine what was taken. 

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" … From his known inventory knowledge, he suspected a large amount of broadband data cards and several laptop computers (had been stolen)," the report said. "(He) informed the responding officers that the store will have to do an inventory to determine exactly what was missing."

The full inventory had not yet been completed on April 30, the report said.

Investigators were waiting Tuesday on a copy of the store's surveillance footage.

Anyone with information about this theft should call the  at 708-444-5300.

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