May 11--A man used a small Bobcat front loader to break through the windows of a West Side Family Dollar, then walked off with two cans of deodorant and a bunch of gift cards, according to police.
Officers stopped the man about a block away because he matched the description provided by a security company who was monitoring the store at 5410 W. Chicago Ave., police said.
The man stole the Bobcat loader from a nearby construction site at 5327 W. Chicago Avenue -- the site of the former 15th District police station -- and broke the windows at the Family Dollar store a block away.
Police said an alarm company watched the theft unfold from security cameras inside the store and called Chicago police. Responding officers saw a man in the area matching the description and stopped to talk with him.
One of the officers noticed a bulge in the man's pocket and found gift cards after patting him down, police said.
The man told police he found the cards about a half-block away, police said. They brought him back to the Family Dollar and compared him to security video and he was arrested, police said.
The man didn't attempt to take the cash register, police said. Charges are pending, police said.
The Bobcat was being used to help build a community center for young mothers, according to police.
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