Food is fuel. It’s an important thing to remember as a festival-goer, and something that Lollapalooza performers Portugal. The Man understand is important to another exhausting activity: crime fighting. more ›

As with life, music festivals are both filled with shining beacons of humanity and utter dickweeds, the latter of whom probably had a hand in stealing Portugal. The Man's van, gear, and trailer after their Lollapalooza set Sunday. more ›

Future Islands have had to cancel the end of their tour after having a laptop with all the band's backing tracks stolen after the show at Subterranean last night. more ›

On one hand, you know times are tough when burglars are willing to brave man-eating tigers to pull off a low-end caper... On the other hand, WTF do you have to do to protect your stuff if you already have man-eating guard tigers and still suffer break-ins? That is the quandary for Lincoln Park Zoo officials after some seriously brave/stupid thieves broke into the Kovler Lion House early Saturday morning and assumedly (since nobody reported blood or chewed up limbs at the scene of the crime) lived to tell the tale. more ›

Alright, people. We know full well that the city got hosed on the parking meter deal. But does that justify out and out stealing the pay and display boxes put up throughout the city by LAZ Parking? more ›

Lot of folks have been writing in asking about the Puppet Bike vandalization we reported earlier. Jason, Master of Puppet Bike, sent us a second e-mail to clarify the damage. turned out Puppet bike wasn't so much vandalized as broken into. ''When I got there, the bike was not really trashed, but it was opened incorrectly and listing to the side. With the help of a friend I was able to close things up and go home." more ›

According to a report in today's Sun-Times, crime on the CTA is on the rise. From 2006 to 2009, overall crime increased by 26 percent; the most significant spike seems to be in robberies which increased by 77 percent in that time. And the increase in overall crime from last year to this year is on pace to come in at around 12 percent. Downtown and the North Side are the most popular hot spots for these transit thieves. more ›

Ah, youthful looks. Some are blessed with looking ageless but choose to use this blessing for evil rather than good. Enter Jay Taylor and Sal Auditore, two 21-year-olds from Carol Stream accused of using their young looks to pose as high schoolers and steal from eldery living at an assisted-living home. According to the Sun-Times: "Taylor and Auditore gained entry to the homes between June 27-28. The two would discuss the school project, then one man would ask to use the restroom but proceeded to steal money, checks, credit cards and other items." While Taylor has been arrested and charged with two counts of forgery, Auditore is still at large; Taylor told authorities he last saw the alleged accomplice when he dropped Auditore off at a Greyhound bus station from where he was heading west, possibly to California. Those with any info have been asked to contact (708) 865-4700. more ›

Russell Marcordes, 46, of south suburban Oak Forest, was caught on camera early Friday morning with a ladder and wire cutters, after stealing two Chicago Blackhawks banners from the lamp posts outside of City Hall, police said. Marcordes has been charged with misdemeanor theft, according to the release from police News Affairs via the Chicago Sun-Times. more ›

• Bond was set at $1 million for Marcy Cruz, half of the duo charged in last week's bat attack in Bucktown.
• A Facebook photo leads to a stolen phone.
• Desiree Rogers breaks her silence on her time in the White House.

The Chicago Transit Authority introduced a new edgier ad campaign this month, out of concern for the fact that many riders ignore their public-service placards on buses and trains. The new campaign targets pickpocketing and shows a picture of a couple with their arms around each other juxtaposed with a wallet being taken from someone's back pocket, and the phrase "Snuggling or snatching?" written across it. "It's taking a different approach than we have used in the past to get people's attention and raise public awareness so they read the rest of the message," said CTA spokeswoman Sheila Gregory to the Chicago Tribune. more ›

Two more computers that were stolen from the office of attorney Sam Adam - who's defending ex-gov Rod Blagojevich - were found sold to pawn shops. Luckily for the Blago, case, though, nothing on the computers was related to the impending trial. Adam told WBEZ: "The good thing is the two computers that we thought had a .01 percent chance of having something on them are the ones that were returned, and there was nothing on there. There were no downloaded files. This case is not in jeopardy of anything coming out." In total, eight computers and a safe were swiped from Adam's office. more ›

In a recessionary holiday season, one expects a few cuts here and there as many engage in more discretionary spending. But this season Chicago retailers are seeing an increase in behavior that cuts into their bottom-line: theft. more ›

• There's still some skepticism as to whether or not President Obama will make the trip to Copenhagen on the eve of the IOC's October 2nd vote for the 2016 Olympic games.
• Speaking of the Olympics, in the latest edition of one poll that measures where city's rank with their bids, Chicago is now second behind Rio.
• WBEZ talked to local Congressmen to see where they stand on health care reform in the wake of President Obama's speech last night.

An abandoned and "mutilated" ATM machine was discovered some woods near Joliet. Authorities have not determined - but are investigating the possibility - that it might be the ATM machine stolen with ninja-like stealth from Millennium Park last week. Officer Robert Perez of the Chicago Police Department News Affairs Office told the Sun-Times, "We don't know if this is connected to the one they found." Honestly, we hope this ATM machine - which was "cut open with a cutting torch and was in several pieces," according to police - isn't the Millennium Park one. It'd be such an amateurish, disappointing conclusion to a pretty nifty heist (again, not that we condone stealing an ATM machine). more ›

A South Side man believed to have been responsible for at least nine bank robberies along the Red Line this year was arrested by the FBI's Violent Crimes Task Force on Friday. more ›

An increase in robberies and gang members hanging out in various parts of Rogers Park has area residents worried. more ›

An entire ATM machine was stolen Millennium Park sometime early this morning. Someone used an ATM card to access the vestibule at 11 N. Michigan Ave and make off with ATM machine from the Park Grill. No signs of forced entry were seen and police are checking surveillance tapes to see if they can find any clues. A Central District police lieutenant told CBS 2, "They took the entire machine." You know what? We do not condone theft in the least but if you can manage to steal an entire ATM machine and leave no trace of how it was done, kudos to you; you deserve to keep it. more ›

A man accused of robbing at least eight banks - mostly located along the Red Line, hence the name - appears to have struck again. The bank hit this time was Charter One Bank branch at 33 W. Grand Ave., near the Grand & State Red Line stop. Police think the man uses the CTA as his getaway. In March, police offered up to $10,000 in reward for information leading to his arrest. The Red Line Robber has been described as, "a male, 30 to 35, 6 feet to 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds with a medium build and beard. He has worn sunglasses, a dark colored baseball cap and a black bomber jacket during all of his robberies." Anyone with information could and should contact the Chicago FBI at 312-421-6700. more ›

A rare viola that was stolen and held for ransom has been recovered. Henry Cuevas, 25, was arrested for snatching the $260,000 1877 Gand and Bernadel viola from its owner. According to Chicago Breaking News:

The woman and a companion went to meet up with two acquaintances of the companion, one of whom was Cuevas, on Tuesday, police said. They said the four were sitting in a vehicle and talking when the woman began to discuss her viola. more ›

It seems there's a happy ending for the girls who had $20 allegedly swiped from them by the Baskin-Robbins Bandit. Yesterday afternoon, a spokesperson for Baskin_Robbins said the girls would receive an ice cream party and a gift certificate of a yet-to-be-determined amount. Police are still asking for the Baskin-Robbins Bandit to come forward as she's reported to be a regular customer and they want to clear up any misunderstandings if it was an accident. Wait! This happened to us, too! Several Chicagoist staffers were at a Baskin-Robbins yesterday when this man took our money when we weren't looking. This is what he looks like. Where's our ice cream cake? more ›

We know there are more serious things going on in the city (and the world) but sometimes we read a story and just shake our heads in disbelief. This morning, that story was from the Southtown Star explaining the current plight of the Blue Island Little League, victims of a weekend burglary that saw the theft of $3,000 worth of concessions and equipment. The theft happened at a concession stand at Rauch Field, located at 125th Street and California Avenue. League president Jaime Jalomo told the paper, "You name it, they took it. They took candy, Gatorade, boxes of hot dogs, nachos, our public address system, the stereo, pizza ovens and pizzas. They even took our extra baseballs." more ›

Well, crap. Remember the teen who made headlines and caused headaches for impersonating a Chicago Police officer a few months back? At the time, it seemed almost funny (if a little scary) and we were intrigued by a kid who, as relatives attested, just really wanted to be a police officer. Right on this very website, I said: more ›

Estera Bulbucan is learning the hard way you can't just take an ambulance. The Des Plaines woman allegedly swiped an ambulance from Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge yesterday evening and went cruising, winding up at Millennium Park where things got even more fun. According to CBS 2: more ›

Times may be tough, but robbing a kid? Really? Police arrested Dennis Lares (pictured right) last night for robbing a kid, either 9-years-old or 11-years-old, depending on which media outlet you read. The incident happened in the Austin neighborhood last night around 10:30 p.m. when Lares saw the kid carrying money and robbed him of $23. The boy, who was unharmed in the incident, then flagged down a police car. Officers chased Lares on foot and, when they caught him, he told him he did it, “Because I didn’t have any money.” A seach of Lares brought up four stolen credit cards and, in the end, he was charged with one count of robbery and four counts of theft of lost or mislaid property. more ›

WBBM is reporting that over $600 worth of Girl Scout cookies were recently stolen from the Carlisle Community Center in Carlisle, Ind. While not the first (or dumbest) Girl Scout cookie caper, this swindle seems to be the largest and most puzzling in recent memory. The thieves will be disappointed to discover that this year there are two to four fewer cookies in each box, due to the rising costs of transportation and baking (oh man, suckers!). And while Indiana police have yet to disclose any leads, don't fret; our crack Chicagoist sleuths have identified a person of interest [NSFW language]. Also not mentioned in the report, the 27 boxes of Trefoils remained untouched. more ›

Have you no shame, William Lofthus? Lofthus, of Plainview, pleaded guilty to stealing $400,000 from retired nun Bernice Laurins (now deceased). Lofthus was Laurins' trustee and stole the money by "by writing unauthorized checks from her account, using her bank account to pay his credit card bills, and transferring funds from her bank account to his." The thefts took place over a period from 2000 to 2005. Lofthus faces up to 15 years in prison but we imagine that won't come close to the spanking he'll get from St. Peter when he's turned away from the Pearly Gates. more ›

A car theft early this morning on the Northwest Side has prompted an Amber Alert because the car's owner's 7-month-old infant was asleep in the back of the car. The theft happened around 3:30 a.m. at 4242 West Bryn Mawr Avenue. The car is a light green 2003 Dodge Caravan with an Illinois plate number X533131. The mother had left the car running and unlocked. We're not even going to bother jumping to conclusions or questioning the mother's actions. At least until the child is returned safely. more ›

Did crime take a holiday to celebrate the home town senator's election? Nope. Among some of the criminal mischief going on about town: more ›

Approximately 120 tons of road salt (also known as a "shit-ton") has gone missing from an Aurora storage facility since October 1. The total value of the stolen salt comes out to around $32,000.

The police report noted how difficult the theft would have been from a locked facility. Twelve large concrete blocks and a tarp had to be moved to take the salt, which likely would have been moved by truck, police said. more ›