Mag Mile Purse Thieves Foiled
(CBS) – Suspects who stole two pricey handbags from a Louis Vuitton store on the Magnificent Mile were quickly captured after brief car and foot chases.
CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports.
It's not the first time the store's been hit. In April, thieves drove a car through the revolving door and stole about $100,000 worth of merchandise.
This time, one suspect walked into the store and ran out with two purses worth an estimated $6,000.
He jumped into a waiting Honda with other suspects and they sped off. The car went the wrong way down a one-way street, cab driver Sefa Poku says.
Hoping to avoid a head-on collision, Poku says he tried to steer away from the Honda, but the driver wasn't slowing down.
"He tried to go in the middle of the two cars, and he was stuck," the driver says.
Two young men jumped out of the car and started running. Poku and several construction workers chased them and caught one of the suspects.
Humberto Lozano works nearby and videotaped the capture. "I'm happy they got caught," he says.
Meantime, Chicago police caught two more suspects and recovered the stolen purses a couple of blocks away on LaSalle.
According to Chicago police, the same suspects may have tried to break into a FedEx truck Friday morning and do "grab and runs" at high-end Gold Coast stores.
Three suspects are in custody and police may be looking for a fourth.
Charges are pending.
