Police Investigate Teen Burglary Ring in Evanston

were tipped off to a burglary ring led by two Chicago 16-year-olds after they caught three boys entering a car with a stolen key earlier this summer. 

At 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 14, police took three boys between the ages of 8 and 10 into custody in the 100 block of Clyde Avenue, where the boys were using a key they had stolen in an apartment burglary the day before. They stole a watch, iPod and TV, according to police. Police interviewed the boys, then released them to their parents. 

When police interviewed the boys, they learned that two 16-year-olds from Chicago had threatened to hurt them and forced them to break into the apartment on Monday, Aug. 13. The two 16-year-olds stood watch and helped one of the boys climb through a window. Later, they told the boys to use the car key to steal from the woman’s car. 

Evanston police were able to identify both 16-year-olds. On Aug. 22, they took one of the teens into custody and charged him with residential burglary. They are still seeking the second teenager and hope to bring both young men into court. Detectives believe the teens are responsible for other residential burglaries that have taken place in Evanston, police said.