Burglars use sledgehammers to break into Oak Lawn restaurant and smash open slot machines

A burglary crew smashed into a restaurant in Chicago's southwest suburbs, leaving the owner cleaning up a big and frustrating mess.

At Hashtag 95 in Oak Lawn, the restaurant was a little slow on Thursday, but owner Nick Perakis was grateful it looked nothing like the connected gaming room, where the screens of at least two of the slot machines had been smashed.

"We kind of built this room off to the side so it wouldn't really take away the ambiance of the restaurant," he said.

It was that gaming room that caught the attention of a burglary crew Thursday morning.

Around 5 a.m. four guys jumped out of a car, pulled sledgehammers out of the trunk, and broke the restaurant's window, before climbing inside and going straight for the slot machines.

"They knew what they were after, but they definitely didn't seem very experienced. They didn't seem very strong," Perakis said.

The crew used their sledgehammers to pry open the machines so they could get the cash.

"Thankfully for us, the gaming company came and took all the money out the morning before. So, they didn't get very much. All this work and effort did me more problems and damage than they got away with," Perakis said.

The break-in left Perakis to deal with a busted window and a mess inside.

The slot machines have helped offset slow days at the restaurant.

"The revenue from the slots kind of help," Perakis said.

A review of his surveillance footage showed Oak Lawn police patrolled the lot around 4 a.m. The burglars showed up moments later, circling the lot before striking.

Perakis said police were aware of the crew.

"They have a bead on these guys. There's several groups that are hitting various towns. They knew what type of car it was," he said.

At one point during the burglary, the thieves rushed back to the broken window and jumped in their car after an SUV pulled into the lot. Once they realized it was not the police, they went back inside and finished the job.

Perakis said he's thankful that driver didn't stop.

"That person, whoever they might have been, had no idea what kind of trouble they could've been in had they stopped or said something," he said.

As Hashtag 95 picks up the pieces, Perakis said he hopes this crew is captured.

"Put some fear into my employees, unfortunately, and hopefully people come and support us still," he said.