Video showed several people yank an ATM out of a currency exchange business early Thursday in the South Loop while film crews were setting up for the Chicago Fire TV show nearby.
The crash-and-grab burglary happened around 6:22 a.m. on the corner of Jefferson and Roosevelt., Chicago police said.
The video shows how multiple burglars picked up a heavy machine and loaded it into the trunk of an SUV, before they sped away, leaving a Jeep Cherokee behind. Police said there were two suspects.
The Jeep was used to back into the 24-hour Western Union storefront and smash two large front windows so the thieves could get in, police said.
The wild scene unfolded as crews for the TV show “Chicago Fire” were setting up to shoot a scene next door inside a breakfast restaurant, witnesses said. The robbers boldly carried out their plan as many watched in disbelief. Police arrived at the crash and grab scene and put up crime tape as they investigated near the busy intersection.
Eventually, the owners of the stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee made their way to the scene. Police allowed them to take their vehicle, which had child safety seats in the back row.
