Security video captured two men stealing two vehicles from an attended parking lot near the corner of Maple and LaSalle streets in the Gold Coast neighborhood Thursday afternoon.
The company manning the lot said the attendant was moving a parked car when the two men approached with a weapon, and then stole several sets of keys from the attendant’s booth. The pair then took off in two separate vehicles, all in broad daylight, at 2:45 p.m. in the afternoon.
“It’s really disheartening,” said Nina Stillman, who lives across the street.
She and many other residents are concerned with how common the car theft problem is in Gold Coast.
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Last weekend, at 6 a.m. Saturday morning, a group stole a white BMW from a residential garage near Oak Street and Michigan Avenue.
“Of course it’s disheartening to go and see that your car isn’t there, but it’s really sad this neighborhood is scary. That I don’t like to go out past dark,” Stillman added.
According to statistics from Chicago police, motor vehicle thefts are up 96% citywide when comparing the data to last year. More than 18,000 vehicles have been stolen in 2022, compared to just over 9,000 in 2021.
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Ald. Brian Hopkins, who represents the area, said the Chicago Police Department's 18th District has more than 15,000 parking spots, making it a hunting ground for thieves.
CAPS officers for the district are working on security measures with neighborhood stakeholders.
“We’re going out to all of the individual lots and doing security assessments,” Hopkins said. “We are letting the valets know there are certain things they can do to harden their target and not make it so easy for the car thieves who’ve gotten more sophisticated.”
So far, no one is in custody for Thursday’s crime.
