Thieves targeting South Loop, Chinatown restaurants with flyer ruse: police

Police are searching for two men who stole from restaurants over the past three months in the South Loop and Chinatown neighborhoods.

The pair showed up at food establishments and waited until the employees were distracted to place a flyer or newspaper over property inside, according to a community alert from Chicago police. They would then run out with the property.

The suspects were described as two black men between 20 and 25 years old, police said. One is between 5-foot-3 and 5-foot-8 and between 130 and 150 pounds, while the other is between 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-3.

The incidents occurred:

• about 5:48 p.m. Oct. 22 in the 200 block of West Cermak Street;
• about 2:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in the 200 block of West Cermak Street;
• about 4:50 p.m. Jan. 15 in the 2300 block of South Wentworth; and
• about 1 p.m. Jan. 22 in the 2400 block of South Wentworth.

Anyone with information on the thefts is asked to call Area Central detectives at (312) 747-8380.