High End Stores Targets Of 'Smash And Grab' Burglaries
CHICAGO (CBS) -- They've taken tens of thousands of dollars in merchandise, in just seconds from high end stores in the Gold Coast.
The items range from luxury furs and clothing, to high priced jewels. CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports.
Sources tell CBS 2 there's an emerging pattern. The burglars are breaking through glass windows and doors. The crimes are all happening between five and six in the morning.
"It was smash, smash, grab, vanish," said a store owner describing the burglary that happened at his jewelry store.
This store owner agreed to speak with us if we didn't use his name. His Gold Coast jewelry store was burglarized last month. One-hundred thousand dollars in gemstone jewelry was taken.
"They actually left one of the mallets, or left a mallet behind they used to smash the window, which forensic tests are being done on now," he said.
Police recently issued this business alert involving a burglary pattern among high end stores in the Gold Coast. In each case, two men broke or shattered plate glass windows or doors to gain entry. Among the stores, Luca Luca on Oak Street. The window on the west side of the business was shattered. An entire rack of clothing was taken. Each piece ranged in price from $700 to $2,800 each.
Also last month, but on the north side, Barney's Co-op was targeted. About 20-thousand dollars in merchandise was taken.
On May 14th, two men were at it again at Marc Jacobs in the Gold Coast. They broke the glass on the front door. They stuck their hands and arms through the damaged door. But because of double locks, they never made it in. Then, this past Monday at New York Jewelers in the loop, thieves broke through a display window, stealing a half a million dollars in watches.
When asked about the burglary that happened at his business, the jewelry store owner said, "I think it's the same as if someone had come into your home. You feel violated."
"There just seems to be a moral decay in society," he said. "I just know it's sad for me and sad for society in general."
The store owner says he'd like to see more police hired. He believes having more police on the street, will make a difference.
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