Chicago police warn of teenagers robbing high-end stores on Mag Mile
CHICAGO - Over the last month, there have been a half-dozen highly-organized, highly-lucrative robberies along the Mag mile — almost all of them carried out in broad daylight by one or more groups of teenagers.
"I recently moved down here. It makes me worried and not want to be down here alone," said resident Danielle Cantoni.
On October 29 at Dior on Rush, police say three people drove a Nissan Maxima right through the front doors, hopped out, stole thousands of dollars in merchandise, then hopped into a different getaway car.
"The thieves are intentionally targeting the highest of high-end merchandise," said 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins. "It's increasingly clear to us that this is an organized operation that goes far beyond just the people who are on the front lines."
Nearly identical hits have happened six times since October 11, all at high-end stores on or just off the Mag Mile. Hopkins says the robbers are easily selling items like stolen purses — risk-free — on the black market.
"The black market is sort of an Amazon of stolen goods," said Hopkins. "It's a relatively easy thing to unload these stolen goods. It's not like the old days when you had to go to a pawn shop."
Chicago police are now working with the Illinois Attorney General's office to come up with a plan to fight back via a Retail Theft Task Force.
"We, in Chicago, have to adjust the way we police. The criminals are doing something different, so the police have to do something different if we're going to catch them," Hopkins said.
So far, no one's been hurt in any of these brazen robberies. But if you see anything, you're asked to call 911 and try to provide a detailed description of any suspicious people, including any vehicle and license plate information.