Washington DC police have issued a warning about armed robbers targeting winter coats worth thousands of dollars in broad daylight.
Within 48 hours, several residents were robbed of their Canada Goose and Moncler jackets at gunpoint.
Police said three to four masked thieves wearing dark clothing approached the victims and demanded their jackets and other items before driving away with them in a car.
In Georgetown, a woman whose outerwear was nearly stolen said she was on her way home when a group of girls noticed her Canada Goose jacket and tried to steal the expensive item.
“I just heard, ‘Ooh, she’s got a goose,’ and thought maybe it was a compliment, and then I felt a hand on my arm and thought, ‘Oh, they’re actually trying to take it off me,'” she said.
“At this point I threw my coffee cup aside just to distract her; “In particular, I didn’t want to hurt anyone, but I just wanted them to say, ‘Oh, what was that?’ And it worked, and then I ran really fast, and I haven’t run like that in a long time,” the woman explained .
In Georgetown, a woman said she was on her way home when a group of girls noticed she was wearing a Canada Goose jacket and tried to steal the expensive item
Within 48 hours, several residents were robbed of their Canada Goose and Moncler jackets by robbers at gunpoint
Canada Goose coats and parkas have been known to cost over $1,000, with the most expensive women’s parka costing $1,850.
In one incident that occurred near the Estonian Embassy on M Street in the northwest, the robbers stole a jacket as well as the man’s wallet, a pair of Jordans and several other items after attacking him.
In a separate incident, suspects approached another male victim on P Street, Northwest, held him at gunpoint and took his $1,800 Moncler jacket and wallet.
In a third incident, thieves also stole a victim’s blue Canada Goose jacket after confronting them on the 1900 block of S Street, Northwest.
Police have not clarified whether all of these incidents are related.
Incidents occurred all over Northwest DC
Canada Goose coats and parkas have been known to cost over $1,000, with the most expensive women’s parka costing $1,850
In light of these thefts, D.C. police have advised residents to purchase AirTags to avoid losing their jackets forever
In light of these thefts, D.C. police have advised residents to purchase AirTags to avoid losing their jackets forever.
Commander Sylvan Altieri said: “AirTags. I’ve seen people use them for toolboxes and suitcases. I think that’s probably the best thing you can do when it comes to something being stolen because it’s a good way to track it.”
Officials believe these stolen jackets are being resold on online websites.
Reports of expensive jackets being stolen from locals come after images and videos emerged of pharmacies empty due to thefts and adults using children to steal items.
At a CVS in Washington, the entire shelves have been cleared by gangs of children who raid the store every day.
A sole security guard at the Columbia Heights store is no match for the up to 50 teenagers who routinely parade the store before and after school, Fox 5 reported.
The pharmacy chain is in the process of closing 900 stores in the U.S. amid a crime wave that is costing the industry $112 billion a year, according to the National Retail Federation.
Abandoned shelves greet visitors to DC’s CVS, which is routinely cleaned out by shoplifting kids on their way to or from school
Entire areas of the store were cleared of products by shoplifters
And there’s hardly anything left that isn’t locked up in the beleaguered branch in the center of town.
“When you walk into this CVS, you think the store is closing because there’s hardly anything on the shelves,” Fox 5 reporter Sierra Fox told viewers.
“I asked an employee what was stolen most often and he just laughed and said “everything.”
“A large group of children, around 45 or more, come by before school, after school and late at night to steal chips and drinks.”
“They even throw the food and drinks on the floor and trample on them, leaving a big mess behind.”
Analysts at UBS expect at least 50,000 stores in the U.S. to close in the next five years due to the shift to online shopping and the impact of theft on their bottom lines.
While several major chains nationwide have closed stores due to shoplifters, the situation in D.C. appears to be even more dire after videos of children and adults stealing Halloween decorations went viral.
A homeowner in Washington, D.C. was horrified when she saw her Halloween decorations stolen from her porch by small children under the supervision of two adults
The incident was captured on a Ring doorbell camera and shows the children walking to the property in the Hillcrest neighborhood on Oct. 12 around 8:30 p.m
The incident was captured on a Ring doorbell camera and shows the children walking to the property in the Hillcrest neighborhood on Oct. 12 around 8:30 p.m.
An adult appeared to be giving them directions as two baskets full of Halloween items were stolen.
A second adult was seen standing on the sidewalk outside the home keeping watch while the theft occurred.
The homeowner, who was only called Shelly, was left “disgusted” by the incident and said she was concerned about the young children’s behavior.
The footage shows three children climbing onto the property’s porch and looking through the window to see if anyone is home.
An adult then appears in front of the children as they search the area.
Another adult was also seen standing guard on the sidewalk during the incident.
The children were seen inspecting the Halloween decorations on the porch before two of them picked up baskets.
They immediately ran away from the scene with the two adults, who homeowner Shelly believes are her parents.
“I was really disgusted that the parents were there,” she told WUSA9. “It was almost as if they were instructed, which worried me.”
The Metropolitan Police Department has asked residents to contact the office if they have any information about the missing jackets.