At Least 3 Luxury Cars Stolen From Evanston Dealership

CHICAGO (CBS) — Thieves targeted a luxury car dealership in the north suburbs overnight, stealing at least three cars.

For the past several months, there have been several dealerships targeted for high end, luxury cars. The most recent was at the Autobarn in Evanston.

Police responded to a disturbance call at the Autobarn dealer around 12:15 a.m. Friday, and found a door had been forced open. Inside, an unoccupied vehicle was running, and someone had broken into the office where the keys for cars were kept.

One of the garage doors had been opened, and the manager informed police at least three BMWs had been stolen – an X4, a 335, and an X2.

Witnesses reported seeing six luxury cars headed south on Lake Shore Drive, all with dealer plates, but it was not immediately clear if all six were stolen from the Autobarn.

Evanston police said the X4 and 335 were recovered in Chicago near Lake Shore Drive and Fullerton Avenue.

Chicago police also recovered a stolen luxury convertible abandoned in the northbound lanes of Lake Shore Drive near Fullerton.

No one was in custody Friday morning.

In November, thieves stole nine cars from Mike Anderson Chevrolet in the Portage Park neighborhood in Chicago.

According to a published report, more than 100 cars have been stolen from dealerships in the Chicago areas in the past six months. In some cases, police have made arrests; typically, the suspects were teenagers or young adults.

Police have not linked the heists to one organized group, but all the thefts and break-ins have dealerships beefing up security.

from CBS Chicago http://ift.tt/2kwWEa4