In Chicago, the Democratic-dominated City Hall has voiced concerns about shoplifting downtown — and it’s leaking out to the suburbs.
This Monday, a gang of shoplifters targeted the Louis Vuitton store in nearby Oak Brook, according to a police interview with Fox News.
The shoplifters ran to the shelves and snatched the designer bags… more than $100,000 worth of merchandise.
Police counted 14 shoplifters, each wearing a mask and gloves.
No one was injured, and no shoplifter brandished a weapon.
Take a look —
https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1461478278645047307
The local police department has identified the shoplifters’ license plates, according to Police Chief James Kruger.
“We do have some information on when they fled the area, and we also have vehicle information too, which is very helpful. Vehicle descriptions, even close-up photos of license plates, so were nailing down all those leads now, our detectives are out working those leads,” the police chief told Fox on Thursday.
Since the incident, Fox has reported increased patrol around the mall.
These shopliftings come at a time of nationwide concern about crime. Last year, the murder rate spiked to levels not seen since the early 2000s, according to data from the F.B.I.
Property theft, however, has declined overall. The larceny rate declined continuously from 2013 to 2020, and it fell particularly hard during the pandemic.
“It’s hard to commit shoplifting when stores are closed,” The New York Times remarked in September.
The Oak Brook police department described shoplifting as uncommon.
Since 2020, stores have opened again. Some conservative commentators, like Ross Douthat, have floated a link between masks and criminality, but the data isn’t available yet.
It remains unclear whether — or how — the Great Reopening has affected the shoplifting rate.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.