Burglars smashed into three downtown Evanston businesses early Thursday, Sept. 3, in the second wave of commercial break-ins to strike the city in less than a week.

Bennison's Bakery, Gigio's Pizzeria and CM Chicken, all near Davis Street and Maple Avenue, were targeted in what the Evanston RoundTable described as coordinated smash-and-grab burglaries. Suspects arrived in a single car. By Thursday morning, the front door of Bennison's was boarded up.

No information about arrests, suspect descriptions or the value of losses has been made public. Evanston Now also confirmed the break-ins.

The incidents followed a separate round of burglaries on Aug. 31, when power tools were stolen from contractor vans at two Evanston businesses. As we reported Sept. 2, police described those thefts as part of an emerging pattern across the Chicago area. In a Sept. 1 advisory tied to the van thefts, the Evanston Police Department urged residents to call 911 rather than confront suspects. Tips can be directed to 847-866-5000 or texted to CRIMES at 275637, beginning the message with EPDTIP.