Teenage Thief Robs Street Performer in Chicago
A startling video has gone viral, showing a teenager boldly stealing a donation box from a street performer in Chicago during daylight hours, right in one of the city’s most crowded areas.
On a recent Monday afternoon, singer Andrew David was performing Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” near the One North State Building when the young thief approached him. Dressed in a gray hoodie and a black face mask, the boy waited for the opportune moment to snatch the box filled with cash and ran away.
“Looks like today is one of those days,” David wrote in the video’s caption, which has since gained around 3 million views.
Having been a street performer for about a decade, David shared with local media that this wasn’t his first encounter with theft. “It wasn’t just the $100 inside; losing the box itself hurt more,” he reflected. “As soon as he took it, I asked, ‘Can you at least give me the box back?’ I really didn’t want to chase anyone.”
Fortunately, a good Samaritan returned the box shortly after it was stolen. Looking back at the footage, David noticed that the teen had been loitering in the vicinity for about ten minutes before making his move.
While the boy initially blended into the crowd, David said nothing suspicious happened until later, when he seized the moment to take the box. After David shared the video online, it quickly circulated, leading staff from a local high school to identify the young robber.
Following the incident, the school principal reached out to David to discuss compensation and met him the next day to return the stolen money. “She walked me around the school and pointed out all the resources available for the students,” he noted.
The boy’s mother reached out to David as well, expressing her disappointment and clarifying that her son’s actions were not indicative of his usual behavior. David has decided against pursuing criminal charges, instead expressing hope that this incident serves as a valuable lesson for the youth involved.
“I just hope this whole situation, with all the social media attention, will help him learn something,” David said.
