Crash-and-grab burglars target food and liquor store in Chicago's Portage Park neighborhood

Surveillance video caught the moment a group of thieves targeted a food and liquor store in a crash-and-grab early Wednesday morning.

Just before 4:30 a.m., an SUV slammed through the front door of Randee's Food and Liquor in Portage Park. They then proceeded to steal bottles of liquor inside.

When the owner got to the store, his front door was gone, with shattered glass everywhere and a trail of broken bottles leading into the store and around the counter. His security cameras captured what happened.

A crew of at least five gets to work, three of them inside the store. They grabbed armfuls of top-shelf liquor from behind the counter — filling up trash and recycling bins with bottle after bottle. Dropping more than a few, slipping and sliding their way out of the store into a getaway car. They leave the banged-up SUV behind.

"I was sitting out there. Five minutes later, this happened," said Matthew Schoenke.

He missed the break-in by minutes on his way home from work.

"This is a place that I come like pretty much like every other day. I live across the street, so I always stop in and grab something before i go home," he said.

As a regular at the store, he said he feels awful for the owner, who said he's out at least $1,500 in liquor, not including the cost of replacing the door.

"You know, it's a miserable feeling, especially when you bust your ... every day, and then you come back just to a negative, you know?" Schoenke said.

Despite all that was lost, the owner didn't lose a day of business. Now, the store is counting on its regulars to keep coming back.

"Hopefully, you know, this community comes together and helps the guy out. I know he helps out a lot of people, so hopefully that's paid back to him," Schoenke said. 

Chicago police said the crew fled from the scene in a Dodge Durango.

As of Wednesday night, no arrests were made.