Chicago Police and Fire HQ
The author taking his life in his hands outside Chicago Police and Fire Headquarters at 3510 S. Michigan Avenue in the summer of 2018. (Image by Boch)

As we’ve noted in the past, buying and selling online has its risks. That’s why those who are prudent arrange to conduct their transactions in safe, public locations. But in Chicago, that’s getting harder to do every day.

Take, for example, the case of a gentleman who wanted to sell a pair of high-dollar Nikes on Facebook Marketplace. Trying to avoid becoming another robbery victim — or worse yet, a homicide stat — he arranged to complete the deal outside the Chicago Police Department’s main headquarters building on South Michigan Avenue.

The “buyers,” wearing ski masks, pulled a gun on him and robbed him anyway. Right. Outside. Police. Headquarters.

Now, four months later, cops have finally nabbed the offender despite having high-definition video of the crime. What’s more, if you guessed the bad actor in this case had previous contact with the criminal justice system, you win a cookie. He was on probation for a previous felony gun charge.

CWB Chicago has the story:

On Tuesday, prosecutors charged Devonta Burchett, 22, with Class X armed robbery in connection with the July 15 hold-up outside Chicago Public Safety Headquarters, 3510 South Michigan. Three alleged accomplices remain at large.

Burchett, who was on probation for a felony gun case at the time, contacted the victim via Facebook and agreed to meet him outside CPD headquarters around 9 p.m. that night to close the deal, Assistant State’s Attorney John Gnilka said.

The victim and Burchett met and talked outside their cars for a short time. Then, Burchett invited the victim to step back to his car so his “brother” could try the shoes on, Gnilka said. As the victim stood outside the passenger door, the car’s windows rolled down, and he saw three more men inside the vehicle. Unlike Burchett, they were all wearing ski masks, according to Gnilka.

Again, completing online sales in a safe, public location is a good way to go. Clearly, meeting directly outside of police HQ seems like as prudent a course of action as possible. But not in Lori Lightfoot’s town. Chicago simply may not have any locations that can reasonably be considered safe any more.

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23 COMMENTS

  6. Chicago and the word safe certainly don’t usually belong in conjunction with each other, unless you happen to be talking about Democrats being in safe Chicago districts. But criminals and Democrats belong together; in the same jail cell in my opinion!

    • Having been in every awful hood in Chicago I agree. Unarmed too! I won’t go there unless it’s business…

  7. cwb post just said “snappy shoes.” wonder how nikes was determined. this kid we call the patron saint of calcutta (my boy says that he’s a “sneakerhead”) says they were not skunk dunks.

  8. I sense a business opportunity … Provide a guaranteed safe space and escrow service for such exchanges. Site personnel armed and armored, entrance isolation cells, all packages inspected, etc.

    Of course, getting the business license in places that really could use such a service might prove problematic.

  10. I purchase my “who cares” sneaks at thrift stores. Some of the money saved goes to punching holes in paper.

  12. You can’t make this $h!t up when it comes to Lori Lightfoot’s Chiraq there is no “normal” any longer.

  13. Never go in alone.

    Doing a deal for “snappy shoes” in Shitcago, I’d want overwatch. Or maybe a friend standing nearby with a rifle at low ready.

    • “I’d want overwatch. Or maybe a friend standing nearby with a rifle at low ready.”

      gonna be common business practice in not too much longer.

      • Yea, but look at Rittenhouse. You gotta get shot before you can defend your life in the the liberal cesspool that is….any liberal city.

    • Now that would be bad form, possum. Funny, but bad form. Punks would drop them like they were filled with scorpions and go girly screaming down the street.

  15. We need to stop calling Shitcago Chiraq. I understand Bagdad is now safer than several of our larger cities here in the U.S. I also think calling certain Darwin Awards candidates, “Clowns” is demeaning to a highly trained, professional group. If we had graduates of clown school running our various governments, I think we would all be better off.

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