Chicago police have arrested a 26-year-old man in connection with a string of airbag thefts on the Near West Side and in the West Loop, marking only the second known arrest tied to a theft surge that has left more than 2,000 car owners without airbags so far this year.
Ricardo Bryant was taken into custody Thursday afternoon in the 2800 block of West Flournoy Street after CPD’s Auto Crimes Task Force determined he was responsible for a series of recent thefts in the area, police said. He faces four counts of burglary and one count of possessing burglary tools. Police also said he had two outstanding warrants at the time of his arrest.
According to CPD, Bryant is accused of stealing airbags from vehicles in the 1600 block of West Warren Boulevard on June 19 and 20; the 1700 block of West Washington Boulevard on those same dates; and the 900 block of West Jackson Boulevard on June 20. Details about how investigators zeroed in on Bryant are expected to emerge in the coming days. He is only the second person known to be charged with stealing airbags in Chicago. The other individual was involved in a less-typical operation that raided a used car lot in Little Village to target a mass of vehicles in March, but CPD did not publicize his arrest…