A North Carolina man broke into a Magnificent Mile boutique and stole high-end merchandise Sunday because people weren’t giving him money for panhandling, according to prosecutors.
Austin Kent, 18, admitted to throwing a brick through a display window and taking a belt, backpack, and shoes from MCM, 540 North Michigan, police said. The stolen merchandise was reportedly worth $1,785.
A passer-by posted video of the scene to Snapchat:
Witnesses told police that a group of people boarded a CTA bus after stealing property from the store window around 9 p.m. Cops stopped the bus on the 300 block of North State a few minutes later.
Inside the bus, police recovered the backpack, belt, shoes, eight purses, and other merchandise from the store. Additional suspects were detained on the bus, but witnesses were only able to identify Kent.
He later told police that he was experiencing homelessness and people weren’t giving him enough money when he asked for handouts on the street, according to court records.
Judge Mary Marubio released Kent on a recognizance bond.
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