Crew targets more than 20 small businesses in overnight burglaries, most on Northwest Side

Chicago police are searching for the people responsible for more than 20 overnight business break-ins.

At the center of it all — a red sedan.

The thieves aren't getting away with much, but they're causing a lot of expensive damage for the small business owners.

Piles of shattered storefront glass are what more than 20 small business owners faced Wednesday morning.

Around 6 a.m., a barista at Terra Coffee in Avondale hid for cover as a brick came flying through the front door. She then came face to face with the intruder — both ran away in different directions.

"They more than spooked her, they traumatized her. That's a very scary experience to have gone through and she was here by herself," said co-owner Jocelyn Telles.

Two other businesses, including Subway and a nail salon in the shopping plaza, were also broken into Wednesday morning. Despite the sign outside of Terra warning potential intruders that they don't have cash and security cameras are recording, they burglarized Telles business anyway. 

"Unfortunately, this is just one of the realities of running a business in Chicago," Telles said.

At Fry the Coop in Portage Park, about $4,000 in damage was done in seconds and the register was ripped out. This was not the first time, according to the restaurant's general manager Lewis Tovar.

"They probably got away with 10 bucks tops," he said.

Chicago police said that a group of four people used a brick and other heavy objects to smash the glass of the businesses. They say a red sedan, believed to be stolen, was used in the overnight break-ins. One of the suspects, wearing a sweatshirt with this distinctive design, was seen inside several of the stores, including Migos Fine Foods, also in Portage Park.

"We are trying to build a community. We are trying to help people. We are trying to make a living, but where do we go from here?" said Azazi Morsi with Migos Fine Foods. "What is being done to change these things?"

There is plenty of surveillance video from all of the targeted businesses, but so far, no arrests have been made.