A day after thieves nabbed items valued at $35,000 from Burberry on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, a similar incident happened at a nearby Gucci on Friday, police said, adding that the group fled in a stolen car.
Authorities believe the same suspects were involved in both incidents, CWB Chicago reported on Friday:
A CPD spokesperson said five thieves entered a retailer on the 900 block of North Michigan and took property around 4:41 p.m. The spokesperson did not name the business, but a police report said it was Gucci.
After grabbing a substantial amount of high-end merchandise, the crew escaped in a Nissan Maxima that appeared identical to the getaway car used by the Burberry raiders. The vehicle was last seen heading south on Michigan Avenue. No estimate of losses was available.
The news came as Chicago has recorded fewer shootings and murders in 2022 but an increase in crimes such as carjackings.
“Many other types of crimes have increased across the city this year. After seeing a drop earlier in the year following the creation of a task force, the number of people carjacked – 499 – is up 3%,” ABC 7 reported Friday.
“In a statement accompanying the statistics, the Chicago Police Department said it has made 72 arrests for carjacking this year, with 57% of them juveniles. It didn’t say how many of those arrests were for carjackings committed this year,” the outlet continued.
In February, ABC 7 reported violent crime was growing on the Magnificent Mile, adding that the area generated $2 billion a year in property taxes and accounts for 20 percent of Chicago jobs and two-thirds of its hotel rooms:
In the recent incident at Gucci, the four suspects were believed to be young black men.
“On Thursday, four men entered Burberry at 633 North Michigan and stormed out with stacks of purses at 12:35 p.m., according to a CPD report. One of them punched a woman in her arm as they escaped, police said,” the CWB article stated.
The group reportedly fled the scene driving a stolen 2018 Nissan Maxima.
Meanwhile, seventeen individuals were shot, three fatally, last weekend in Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s (D) Chicago, Breitbart News reported Monday.