Ulta Beauty heist: Shoplifters empty Chicago outlet's shelves in viral video
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: An Ulta Beauty store in Northern Illinois was robbed in broad daylight over the weekend. The robbery captured on camera by bystanders has now become a viral video. The footage shows at least three culprits wearing masks as they empty shelves of expensive Christian Dior and Armani makeup into black trash bags.
The man filming the heist on his phone was visibly shocked at the scene unfolding before his eyes. "Look at this! Wow. Insane," the man says. "This is in the middle of Ulta, right now!" As the video continues, the man can be heard repeating the word “insane” several times as other customers could be seen not interfering with the robbery in any way.
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— 16th & 17th District Chicago Police Scanner (@CPD1617Scanner) September 27, 2021
This was at the Ulta in Norridge at 4115 N Harlem near the 16th district in #Chicago pic.twitter.com/Ab59s9N2lA
An Ulta Beauty spokesman told Fox News they were aware of the incident and had reported it to police. The store where the robbery took place is located in Norridge, Illinois, about 15 miles northwest of Chicago.
"At Ulta Beauty, the safety of our associates and guests is our highest priority," Eileen Ziesemer, vice president of public relations for Ulta, said. "We are aware of the criminal activity at our Norridge store over the weekend and are fully cooperating with local police as they conduct the investigation." She added that no one was injured during the robbery.
Earlier in September, Chicago police issued two warnings to businesses about groups of shoplifters who were swarming stores to steal perfumes. One of the warnings said the thieves were escaping with garbage bags filled with stolen merchandise. The other warning spoke about a store on the 400 block of North Michigan that had been targeted three times between August 27 and August 31. All the stores were Ulta Beauty locations.
Following this, it was reported that the garbage bag-wielding thieves robbed Ulta at 2754 North Clybourn Avenue and another outlet at 1107 South Delano Court in the South Loop. The Ulta thefts are suspected of being part of a large-scale operation that sells stolen name-brand merchandise online at deep discounts.
The Daily Mail reported that three organized gangs of thieves have been targeting the city's stores. According to a local news report from September 22, a shoplifting team has repeatedly raided high-end retailers to steal expensive purses along the Magnificent Mile, Oak Street, and Rush Street in September. Police are also looking for a two-man team that is stealing bags full of cigarettes from Walgreens locations, CWB Chicago reported.
The report said that around 4 pm on September 20, an employee at Bottega Veneta admitted a man into the boutique at 800 North Michigan. About eleven other men poured in behind the first. The crew collected about 35 handbags, which retail for thousands of dollars each, from the shelves and ran out the door. A police report said the crew escaped in at least two cars, including a gray Honda CRV.
In another incident, a group of six men walked into Salvatore Ferragamo, 645 North Michigan, but they left without taking anything. A store employee reportedly recognized some of the men as part of a crew that took $43,000 worth of purses and critically injured the shop’s 73-year-old security guard in August. The report added that about an hour later, the same men stormed into Burberry, 633 North Michigan, pushed the store’s security guard, and stole nine handbags. They fled in cars that were waiting outside, according to witnesses.
Three men reportedly conducted a similar raid for purses at Intermix at 40 East Delaware. On September 13, at Moncler, 33 East Oak, six people wearing masks entered the store and robbed high-end products. At least one of those offenders had a gun.