Suspects make off with $50,000 worth of items in daring midday robbery of Gucci store in Meatpacking District
Editor's note 2/20/24 5:40 a.m.: Police have since released video of the robbery. Check it out here.
NEW YORK -- A Manhattan Gucci store was the scene of a robbery in the middle of the day Monday.
It happened just after noon at the store on West 14th Street and Ninth Avenue in the Meatpacking District.
Police said there were three suspects and one acted as if they were armed, adding the crime was pulled off in a matter of minutes and they got away with $50,000 worth of items.
The Gucci store closed for the rest of the day. The high-end heist left other retail workers shaken.
"I guess these are criminals with taste," Lower Manhattan resident David Adler said.
Investigators said two men and a woman entered the store and one of them threatened they had a weapon and ordered everyone to the floor.
"The use of a gun is particularly disturbing," said Meatpacking District resident Eli Klein.
The robbery put other nearby shops on high alert. At least one took extra precautions by locking its doors and only allowing customers in upon request.
"It's frustrating. A lot of New Yorkers are going through a flux, not only on the streets but retail. Some of the stores they are hitting are older Manhattan now," said Connor O'Leary of Breitling Boutique, a high-end watch store a few storefronts away from Gucci. "We have a good team. We have an action plan set up if anything happens."
Just last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul said larceny offenses rose by more than 50% in the city from 2017 to 2023, as she announced her plan to fight the rise in retail thefts, including a better-coordinated law enforcement response and harsher punishments for assaults on retail workers.
"It's got to stop. We have to protect them. We have to protect these workers and send a message that there are consequences when you touch one of these individuals who's exposed, who's out there providing a service, for gosh sakes," Hochul said.
As for those who live and work in the area, some are wondering when it will all stop.
"Look over my shoulder. I think we all have to. It's a scary thing," Adler said.
"Where is this kind of new mentality coming from? But still, any New Yorker can agree with me. It's something we haven't seen in a while, or at least this intensity," O'Leary added.
Police said the suspects got away with luggage and some other items.
CBS New York wanted to know about retail theft specifically in the Meatpacking District, so we asked police. They said, year to date, robberies in the 6th Precinct are down more than 38%. At this time last year, there had been 21. So far this year, there have been 13.
Police said overall crime in the precinct is down as well, more than 29%.
Anyone with any information on Monday's robbery is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.