Chicago police find teddy bear stolen during downtown teen takeover
A teddy bear stolen during the downtown Chicago teen takeover on Friday was found thanks to some help from the Chicago police.
The theft happened at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory around 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Loop.
A group of teenagers went into the company's new store at 3. N. State Street in Chicago, and grabbed Truffles, the 3-foot tall Teddy Bear, off its chair from the front window. Then they ran off. The incident was caught on video.
"I got a text from one of our team members saying, 'Truffles was taken,' so I immediately jumped on camera and saw what happened," said owner Tyson Minnick.
He said he immediately reported the theft to the Chicago police.
The thieves got away on the CTA Red Line, but police were able to track the bear to the 35th Street station. There, about a dozen officers were seen arresting the teens and carrying the bear behind them.
"Within an hour, I got a text with Truffles and about six or seven Chicago PD officers that Truffles was back," Minnick said.
Chicago police said two teenagers, a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old, were taken into custody and charged with misdemeanor theft and cited for trespassing for riding the CTA without paying.
Truffles was back in the shop, where a group of officers took a picture with the bear. It's an image that 7th Police District Councilman Joseph Williams said irks him.
"I uphold our police officers and respect the work that they do, but ultimately I think that the resources could have been allocated in a different way," he said.
Williams said this many officers were not needed to track down a teddy bear that retails for $650. He said instead they could have been used to solve homicides, missing children's cases, or help seniors.
"Me seeing that it was like 'yeah, it's nice,' but ultimately, are we using those resources in the best way?" he said.
As for truffles, he's back in his chair perched at the window, and he's tied to it now. Millick said, hopefully, this is enough to keep him in place.
"If truffles leaves again, he is taking his chair with him," Minnick said.
CBS News Chicago reached out to ask the CPD if the response to the bear is typical, but has yet to hear back.
Teen takeovers have been a topic of hot conversation in the Chicago area. Two over the weekend in the South Loop and Marquette Park drew a CPD response, but no arrests were made, and there didn't appear to be any damage caused. At the end of March, a teen takeover in Hyde Park badly damaged cars and resulted in one girl facing weapons charges.
The week before, large crowds of teenagers took over Chicago streets in the Loop, resulting in two dozen curfew violation citations and eight arrests. Second Ward Ald. Brian Hopkins said at least one person was sent to a hospital for an injury stemming from a fight during the takeover.
Hopkins has been behind more than one measure that would have introduced snap teen curfews for downtown Chicago. His first proposal, which allowed just 30 minutes' notice of temporary teen curfews ordered by police, was vetoed by Mayor Johnson.
A revamped measure introduced in December 2025 would allow the Chicago police superintendent to issue a curfew for minors with 12 hours' notice, after consulting the deputy mayor for community safety. The City Council delayed a vote on that measure in January after last-minute changes.
