A local liquor store in Logan Square has implemented a new security strategy following five separate thefts in the last ten days.
For almost three decades, Red Star Liquor & Deli, located at 2725 N. Milwaukee Ave., has been a community mainstay. This is the first time that security guards have ever been on the premises.
“We’ve got to do what we can do to protect our property, you know?” owner Esam Hani stated. “But we can’t close down either.”
A full-service liquor store, Red Star Liquor & Deli offers an extensive assortment of beer, wine, and spirits. It has grown in size in recent years, adding a deli with eight varieties of cold-cut sandwiches.
“We open up to give good service to our customers and our guests, and you know, people come for sandwiches—and then we have to change the way we operate on a day-to-day basis,” Hani stated. “It’s disheartening, it doesn’t make any sense.”
This is the first time Hani has hired security; he has owned the location since it initially opened in 1991.
“To protect my staff, I hired a security firm to stand here from open to close—which is extremely expensive,” he stated. “I have to absorb that cost now just to ensure the safety of my staff and my business.”
After spending the money to stop the group from entering and stealing tequila for a sixth time, Hani was left incensed. A woman pushing a baby in a stroller and multiple guys wearing face masks were captured on camera during the fifth incident on Tuesday afternoon.
“And they would walk in and literally go to the shelves. As you can see, my shelves are completely empty on this side,” Hani pointed to a section of the store that was still vacant two days later and stated. “They would go straight for the tequila, mostly, or the expensive bottles. They would just start taking them off the shelves and filling their bags.”
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Bradley Johnson, the store manager, can be seen behind the counter in the video. He claimed that the robbers put tequila inside a red bag.
“You got to keep calm, because you don’t know how people are going to respond if you escalate the situation,” Johnson stated.
During the theft, no words were said, yet action was taken—along with the security personnel.
“We’re going to build special doors and cages on our liquor—on the expensive stuff,” Hani stated, “and when they come in, there’s no way they can get to it and just grab it.”
With these extra precautions, Hani wants to keep the thieves away from Red Star and the tequila. Security guards will stay, according to Hani, for however long is required.
Strangely enough, Johnson, the deli employee, is the uncle of the man who was murdered last week while attempting to apprehend robbers at a Cicero liquor store.
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