Groups of young people walk into store after store, smash display cases and run off with thousands of dollars in merchandise piled in their arms or shoved into garbage bags.
Police in Montgomery County, Maryland, announced a series of arrests in the fight against retail crime. They believe six suspects are responsible for thefts from 11 stores in the county and a whopping 80 stores in D.C. since April. The suspects range in age from 28 to just 13.
“It is shocking. It’s one of those things in my career that, I don’t recall seeing kids as young as 13 going out and being involved in this type of crime,” said Capt. Sean Gagen.
Police say the group is responsible for $78,000 in theft from Ulta Beauty stores in the D.C. area, and $49,000 in theft from 11 Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Target and Nike stores in Montgomery County.
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Police believe the thieves sold the items.
The thefts occurred between April 28 and June 15 in Montgomery County and D.C., police said. The suspects are all from D.C. and are 28, 21, 17, 16 and 13.
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The crime spree ended on June 15 after the group hit the Ulta store on Rockville Pike and police spotted the getaway car, police said. After a brief chase, two suspects were caught. Chopper4 images show a car surrounded by police cruisers.
Police said the driver of car they were using had been carjacked at gunpoint in D.C. the previous day.
“This group was using either a stolen or carjacked vehicle at each one of the thefts in Montgomery County,” Gagen, the police captain, said.
The cars mostly had been stolen from D.C.
The group has not been charged with any of the thefts in D.C. A Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson said the cases are still under investigation.
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Montgomery County police believe additional people are involved. Anyone with potentially relevant information is asked to contact Montgomery County police. Tipsters can stay anonymous. A reward of up to $10,000 is available.
The National Retail Federation recently distributed a video to retailers across the country addressing skyrocketing retail theft.
“These items, we learned, range from smaller health and beauty goods and over-the-counter medicines to larger home improvement tools and electronics,” Vice President of Asset Protection and Retail Operations David Johnston said in the video. “Luxury goods and expensive jewelry remains a target for some, but our report showed a preference to lesser value with increased resale value.”
The group says a good deal of the stolen items end up in the hands of online resellers. Amazon, eBay Etsy, OfferUp and others created policies designed to weed out sales by suspected organized retail crime (ORC) rings.
“With our report finding that 45% of ORC groups for which fencing information was available used an online marketplace for at least some of its resale operations,” Johnston said.
The crimes cost the retail industry an estimated $94 billion in 2021. A good deal of that cost ultimately is borne by customers.
