Chicago Crime: Break-in at Neon Hand Car Wash in Avondale caught on video, one of three businesses hit by thieves in one day

CHICAGO (WLS) — It took burglars armed with a crowbar several minutes and a lot of muscle power to break into an Avondale car wash, part of a series of three thefts on Wednesday evening.

The thieves were armed with a crowbar, which they used to slowly break down a steel security door at Neon Hand Car Wash.

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“It's unbelievable. It's like there's just too much going on in the city,” said owner Faiz Khan.

Police said the two burglars arrived in the alley in a white Hyundai SUV around 9:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Each had a crowbar.

The couple initially had trouble with the back door but didn't give up. After bending part of it backwards, the door still wouldn't budge, so one of them used his body weight, which eventually did the trick.

Once inside, a thief storms the office and tries to break into the cash register with his crowbar, even though there is a key inside in case of a break-in.

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“Just open it, take the money and leave,” Khan said. “That's what I did, but unfortunately he just grabbed the cash register, threw it on the floor and messed everything up.”

The now destroyed cash register is worth much more than the petty cash it contained, Khan said.

According to police, the thieves robbed two more stores in Wicker Park that same day.

Business owners report that there is a real burglary crisis in the city. Khan appealed to the city administration.

“I need some action,” he said. “Right now we're hopeless.”

Khan says his car wash only opened at the beginning of the summer, but he is already wondering if he will have to close.

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