Another brazen smash-and-grab was caught on camera at a luxury car showroom in crime-stricken Chicago in which the suspects ran out with watches worth millions.
The robbery was carried out by two men who entered Gold Coast Auto Gallery Saturday afternoon. It took less than twenty seconds.
Both men stood guard at the doors with guns, while one smashed display cases with hammers. The thieves stole eight high-end watches.
Joe Perillo is a dealer and told FOX 32 that Lori Lightfoot, Mayor of Los Angeles, and all other officials must take swift action to stop businesses from leaving the area.
“I own a property in the suburbs. This place is amazing. “There’s absolutely no crime there,” he stated. People don’t want the city to be their home.
On Saturday, two men entered Gold Coast Auto Gallery in Chicago’s Near North Side and stole luxury watches worth millions of dollars.
One stood by the door with a gun while the other smashed a display case with a hammer
The dealership is known for its selection of Bentleys, Lamborghinis and Rolls-Royces
The robbery targeted ten customers (including children) who were at the Near North Side Bentley Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce dealership when it happened Saturday afternoon.
They entered the store at noon wearing hoodies and masks.
They fled with Richard Mille’s timepieces which some retailed for millions of dollars.
However, the precise models and total value of these watches have not yet been revealed.
Joe Perillo, a dealer owner, argued that Lori Lightfoot (Chicago) and all Chicago officials must take immediate action to stop businesses from leaving the city.
The robbers were pursued by employees, but they could not be captured.
“We chased them down on Chestnut all the way to State Street and they broke up,” Joe Abbas, co-owner of the dealership, said to ABC 7.
Perillo stated that the robbers weren’t smart enough to use their weapons.
He stated, “He wasn’t smart enough to lift the gun. My people have guns.” “If he had raised the gun, he’d have been shot and we’d likely be there defending ourselves.”
Abbas is also a father. He said: “I have very little children.” I do not want to get shot.
The chase and robbery did not result in any injuries.
The police are trying to find the criminals, even though they have already deployed extra patrols Saturday following the destruction caused by teenagers flooding the downtown area.
Perillo demands that officials take further action to ensure safety for citizens.
Ten people were among the victims of the Saturday afternoon robbery, which included children.
These masked men ran off with at most eight Richard Mille timepieces. Some of them were worth millions.
He smashed it with a hammer.
The mayor and Kim Foxx need to make a clear statement. Breaking into places is wrong. If they are caught they will be released. He argued. “If they are arrested they will be released.” They are released if they get arrested.
He added: ‘If they don’t do anything about this, they’re going to lose a lot of businesses. They lost Macy’s. They may lose Neiman Marcus. It’s possible they will close this store.
Owners have taken extra security measures at the store, and they plan to lock the doors even during normal business hours. Perillo stated that service would be available only by appointment from now.
As the Windy City is experiencing a spike in crime, this robbery prompts police to respond more strongly.
Chicago Police Department Supret. said that if you go downtown or any other place to commit disorderly conduct or another crime, you will get arrested. David Brown spoke to ABC 7 Friday.
Police are still trying to identify the suspects
The robbers were pursued by employees, but they could not be captured.
Thefts in Chicago have risen by 19% since December 5, 2021. Police recorded 11,865 incidents.
The city is also seeing a rise in violent crimes, noting there have been 756 murders, a 4 percent rise from the 727 by the same time last year.
Also, criminal sexual assaults rose by 28 percent from 1,522 in 2013 to 1,943, which is a 28% increase.
Only robbery saw an approximately 2 percent drop in violence crime this year.
This robbery occurs as Windy City witnesses a spike in crime
The shooting incidents are also on the rise this year. Chicago Police Department reported 3,347 shooting incidents so far in 2021. This is a nine percent increase over last year.
The overall crime rate has increased from 43 338 in 2020 to 43 701 this year.
Lori Lightfoot is regularly criticized because of her approach to crime. Lori Lightfoot publicly supported the defunding the police movement. She also proposed cutting $59million, or 3.3%, from the CPD budget. This was in the context of Black Lives Matter protests that took place throughout 2020.
Meanwhile, Chicago District Attorney Kim Foxx is facing scrutiny after it was revealed she made an effort to help embattled actor Jussie Smollett get away with staging his own assault. According to officials, Foxx tried to convince the FBI to take over the investigation by liaising with relatives of Empire’s star and attempted to get them to cooperate.