BUT New Jersey A gang of shoplifters who stole $90,000 worth of purses from a Balenciaga store in East Hampton were arrested after a 90 mph car chase that ended with them blowing a tire and trying to escape into a nearby woods.
East Hampton Village police said three men and two women entered the luxury store at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, grabbed bags from the shelves in less than 30 seconds, and drove off in a black Dodge Durango.
New York State Troopers pursued the car on the Long Island Expressway, and after the getaway car exploded, the suspects got out and fled into a wooded area near the highway.
After a thorough search, police caught four of the five suspects: Ali Harris, 28, Jamal Jones, 25, and Wazir Rogers, 25, and Basima Tamika Davis, 34, all from Newark.
Davis was previously arrested on Long Island on January 20, when police found her and three others with stolen property and drugs in a BMW with fake New Jersey license plates.
A fifth suspect in Thursday’s robbery remains at large.
Basima Tamika Davis, 34, (pictured) was one of four arrested for brazenly robbing $90,000 of purses at a Balenciaga store in East Hampton on Thursday.
Store employees told police that a gang of five thieves broke into the store around 1:30 p.m.
The thieves stole the goods in less than 30 seconds before fleeing.
Store employees called 911 as the suspects stormed in, and an East Hampton cop spotted a car driving “recklessly” through the village, according to state police.
The officer ordered the vehicle to stop, but when the driver did not comply, canceled the local pursuit to avoid an “unsafe situation” in the village.
A state trooper then spotted a vehicle speeding near Westhampton Beach and gave chase before it entered the Long Island Expressway, where other state employees joined in the pursuit.
When the getaway car’s tire blew and the suspects fled on foot, the New York State Police and their K-9 unit were joined by local and county cops to search for the suspects.
State police quickly apprehended one of the suspects, while Suffolk County police tracked down the other three.
The four arrested suspects face state and local charges as state police charged them with criminal possession of stolen property and East Hampton police charged them with grand larceny.
They appeared before East Hampton Court and Suffolk County First District Court.
At the time of his January 20 arrest, Davis faced a total of 10 charges, including two counts of illegal possession of a controlled substance and three counts of illegal possession of stolen property.
The crime is reminiscent of a wave of robberies that took place in luxury stores across the country at the start of winter.
During a robbery at a Louis Vuitton store that White Plains police say happened last month, a man flees the store with stolen wallets.
Another suspect was almost stopped by other people in the store, but managed to escape with the stolen wallets right past the security guard.
Last month, police in White Plains, New York, released a disturbing video showing shoppers at a Louis Vuitton store trying to stop a gang of thieves from ransacking a luxury goods store in January. came back and looked.
The video shows the suspects fleeing a store at the Westchester Mall in White Plains as other people nearby tried to stop them. But as the chaotic scene unfolds, the apparent mall security guard steps back and watches, but does nothing.
Another suspect was almost stopped by other people in the store, but managed to escape with the stolen wallets right past the security guard.
It was the second time in recent weeks that high-end store burglaries were committed at a shopping center north of New York after burglars attacked a Burberry store.
The progressive policies of the Walk District Attorneys have been blamed for the rise in both petty and violent crime.
Their attempts to reduce the number of prisoners resulted in many suspected criminals being released directly into the street after they were charged, which pushed them to repeat crimes.