Multiple suspects in a stolen vehicle committed a smash-and-grab burglary at a smoke shop in Round Lake Beach amid an ongoing string of break-ins to businesses in Lake County.
The Round Lake Beach Police Department responded around 1:30 a.m. Thursday to Moshis Tobacco and Vape, 254 East Rollins Road in Round Lake Beach, for a report of a burglar alarm.
Round Lake Beach Deputy Police Chief Tim Schuster said officers arrived and found damage to the front glass door of the business.
They confirmed the business had been burglarized, Schuster said.
Officers checked the building and the surrounding area and it was determined the suspects had fled the scene.
A preliminary investigation shows multiple burglary suspects arrived at the business in a blue Hyundai sedan, Schuster said.
The suspects forced entry into the store, stole merchandise and fled the area before police arrived.
The vehicle believed to have been used in the burglary was later located and recovered by the Hawthorn Woods Police Department.
Schuster said officers also learned the Hyundai had been stolen prior to the burglary.
The same business was hit by burglars in August with cash and merchandise stolen. The business manager estimated the total loss to be significant at that time.
The investigation into the latest burglary remains ongoing and anyone with information that may assist investigators is encouraged to call the Round Lake Beach Police Department at 847-546-2127.
The incident comes amid a string of commercial burglaries across Lake County in the past week.
The Gurnee Police Department said they are investigating five burglaries that occurred in a strip mall in the 3900 block of Washington Street in Gurnee early Tuesday morning.
Several other businesses in Waukegan were also burglarized in recent days.