At least two cell phones were stolen from people sitting at the Logan Square Starbucks (2543 N. California Ave.) in broad daylight after burglars entered the coffee shop and pretended to be in line, according to police and my friend, whose phone was taken during the robbery.
At about 2:42 p.m. on Dec. 4, police said three offenders walked into the Starbucks and grabbed a phone from a nearby table and one directly out of a woman’s hand.
One victim attempted to chase the offenders and saw them get into a black SUV with Iowa license plates, a Chicago Police spokeswoman said. The vehicle fled eastbound down Logan Boulevard. The first offender is described as a black male, 19 to 21 years old, wearing a dark puffy coat and jeans.
The two other offenders were also black and seemed to be around 19 to 21 years old, my friend said.
Police said no one is in custody at this time and Area North detectives are investigating.
The robbery is shocking to anyone who frequents coffee shops, where people often hang out to work, read and the like with phones and laptops visibly out. As someone who works from coffee shops and cafes a great deal, this is very concerning, since they often feel like safe spaces with community honor systems about leaving personal items out. But while rare, coffee shop robberies happen more often than one might think, most recently in other states like Minneapolis, Minnesota and San Angelo, Texas.
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