Thieves steal from diners in Chicago's Armour Square neighborhood

CHICAGO - Police are warning businesses on the city’s Near South Side of multiple thefts from people eating at restaurants in the Armour Square neighborhood in recent days.

In each of the incidents, the victims were eating at a restaurant when the thieves approached them, placed a brochure or menu over the victim’s belongings, and engaged them in a conversation, Chicago police said. The thieves would then remove the brochure or menu with the victim’s belongings and leave the restaurant.

Police released the locations and times of each of the incidents:

• 2200 Block of South Wentworth Ave on December 5 at 2:30 p.m. in Armour Square
• 2100 Block of South Archer Ave on December 7 at 7:10 p.m. in Armour Square
• 2100 Block of South China Pl on December 7 at 8:14 p.m. in Armour Square

Police described one of the suspected thieves as an African American male between the ages of 17 and 25, standing between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-8, and weighing between 140 and 155 pounds. They wore a gray wool hat, a brown jacket, dark jeans, and black and white Nike shoes.

The other suspect was described as an African American male between the ages of 25 and 30 years old, standing around 6-foot-2, weighing around 200 pounds and had a dark complexion, black hair, and brown eyes. He wore a gray, hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and white shoes.

Anyone with information on the incidents is asked to contact Area One Detectives at 312-747-8384 or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTip.com and use reference #P24-1-195CA.