PORTAGE PARK — Six Corners’ beloved City News Cafe was closed for a few hours Thursday morning after a car drove into the facade during a police chase, officials said.
According to a police report, the crash occurred around 4:30 a.m. at the cafe at 4018 N. Cicero Ave. Newsstand owner Joe Angelastri said an employee discovered the damage when he arrived to open the business around 6:15 a.m.
Angelastri said most of the damage was to the business’s outdoor patio and storefront window. He said the city’s Department of Buildings came by and cleared the business to reopen around noon Thursday.
The front of the business was boarded up and the cafe welcomed customers back Thursday afternoon. Angelastri said he is currently getting estimates for how much repairs to the storefront and patio will cost.
Police said officers were on patrol when they saw a black Kia blowing through red lights in the area. The car matched the description of a vehicle that had been reported stolen earlier. Officers turned on their sirens and tried to pull the car over, but the driver sped away, police said.
The driver then lost control of the car and crashed into City News Cafe, officials said. Two of the people in the car were arrested at the scene and two others fled on foot, but were quickly taken into custody.
Police said the four people in the car sustained minor injuries and were taken to local hospitals. Three firearms were found in the car. The incident remains under investigation.
City News Cafe is an eatery and newsstand that is home to one of the largest magazine collections in the city.
Angelastri bought his first newsstand around the corner from the City News Cafe storefront in 1978. He expanded to the current location in 1988. In all that time, Angelastri said his newsstand business has never had to open late “because of any kind of incident.”
“We’ve stayed open during blizzards, thunderstorms, everything,” Angelastri said. “We always found a way to stay open.”
City News Cafe is typically open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Angelastri also owns the Chicago-Main Newsstand at 860 Chicago Ave. in Evanston.
Angelastri said he was grateful the business was able to reopen so quickly Thursday.
“We got an enormous amount of phone calls and people checking in all morning long, so that was nice,” Angelastri said.
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