Prospect Heights police investigating smash-and-grabs at two gaming cafes

Prospect Heights police are investigating a pair of smash-and-grabs at gaming cafes in the city within 15 minutes of each other early Wednesday.

Police Chief Milorad Derman said surveillance video confirmed the same group of masked and gloved people broke windows to gain entry to both Elsie’s Place at 1300 N. Rand Road and Stella’s Place at 1201A Elmhurst Road between 4:45 and 5 a.m.

They proceeded to vandalize the gambling machines in both businesses to pry out the cash drawers.

“They hit both places and we were alerted by the alarm companies,” Derman said. “These crews sometimes get away in a minute or two. These guys are a real menace to these businesses. Our investigations division is diligently pursuing leads in an effort to identify the responsible offenders,”

A representative of Elsie’s Place confirmed the business opened on time at 8 a.m. the same morning, but couldn’t immediately provide an estimate of the monetary loss.

“These businesses bounce back quickly,” Derman said.

A representative of Stella’s Place declined comment.

There was no immediate indication of any other community in the vicinity being struck within the same time frame, Derman said.