Chicago restaurant worker describes moment he chased alleged thief

All right, if you'd like to go out to eat, Chicago police, they are warning folks to watch their valuables when dining in the Loop, the West Loop, and the South Side. That's because scammers have a new way of stealing items from people. Saquon joins us live to explain. Say, I know that you have communicated with some businesses that have been targets of this. What do you have? Yeah, guys, so, I mean, obviously, police are just warning people to be a little bit more alert and be mindful of their belongings here after they say that they've noticed a disturbing trend of thefts being reported here in the loop. And it's been happening, guys, in broad daylight, out in the open, in the public, when there's a lot of people around. So check out this video. We just got this, actually, from the team over at Melly Cafe, which is right behind me here in Printers Row. And this is from a few weeks ago. Hopefully we can show you this video. Here it is right now. This is from October 7th. You can see this guy here walking out of that first set of the doors here. You're going to see that in just a second. And then you're going to see a bunch of these workers basically walking out, chasing this guy out. Apparently, the suspect and another guy were arrested just hours later that same day on Randolph near State Street after police say they used stolen cars to crash into several cars downtown, including a squad car. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but police say that a gun was found inside that stolen car. We are told by the employees here at the restaurant that the items these guys took off with were eventually recovered by police. and we spoke with a worker who was part of the group that chased them out about his reaction. Take a listen. Basically, I was just doing my thing at work, and then I see my buser trying to kick somebody out. And so I go over there, I start helping him out, and then these dudes, I see them trying to take something off from the tables, but they were handing out flyers. And so they put it down, and then they swiped the phone. And then so I didn't know. So while they're walking out, some lady goes, oh, he has my phone. And then my first instinct, I just go over there, I put him in a body lock. He wasn't going to go nowhere. but some lady goes oh it's right here so i let go of him and then starts walking away he started saying some stuff whatever that i just go away too and then somebody goes no he has my phone too another lady then so i'm like what and that's how i started chasing after him so far this month police say they have been called out to at least eight separate incidents very similar to that one including at neighboring businesses right here in printers row on dearborn and down to south Clark Street and Michigan Avenue police say these thieves are hitting up places like diners restaurants, and coffee shops posing as charity fundraisers by placing a flyer or newspaper right on top of people's wallets, purses, or cell phones like you just heard from Adrian there. While the victims are distracted or maybe engaging in some sort of conversation, that is when they slide your valuables underneath that sheet of paper to hide your actual belongings and then they're able to walk away with it. Police say several victims also reported their credit cards were being used just minutes later at nearby department stores. Police say the Suspects are being described by victims as young black men between 17 and 25 years old, wearing dark clothing and face coverings. Officials are urging both customers and business owners to take precautions here. So that means keeping your valuables off the table and out of reach, checking your security cameras and calling 911 immediately if you see anything suspicious. If you have any information about these reported incidents, you are asked to contact Area 3 detectives immediately. Guys, back to you. Okay. Thank you, Sae, for that alert. And hopefully it stops here. Meanwhile, we're learning new details about a CTA program to help keep riders safe. Let's find out more with Brittany Tullis, who joins us live with some details on this plan. Brittany, good morning. Good morning, guys. Earlier this year, the CTA locked in CPD and the Cook County deputies to police CTA trains and property while expanding its safety approach and adding another layer with the Safe Rides Specialist Pilot Program. Now, here's how it'll work. The safe ride specialists will be on CTA trains, working alongside CPD and those Cook County deputies and also with them. Now, they also have objectives of their own, too. Now, this is how it'll work. There's two kinds of safe riders. They'll be wearing vests with their roles on it. Now, it'll either say crisis intervention specialists or community violence intervention specialists. The violence intervention experts will specialize in de-escalation and building positive relationships with youth and young adults utilizing the CTA. The crisis intervention experts are there to link people with needed services like housing, mental health, and substance abuse treatment. The Safe Riders have started earlier this week.