Chicago — Two men stole thousands of dollars worth of colognes and perfumes from a South Loop Ulta store on Christmas Eve and got caught after police tracked a hidden GPS device to locate them inside a stolen car, prosecutors say.
And, incredibly, one of the men has a pending case in juvenile court for allegedly doing the same thing at the same store and getting caught in exactly the same way while in another stolen car.
Marquise Ramyeh and Tyler Shields, both 18, appeared for a bail hearing before Judge Charles Beach on Christmas Day.
“Mr. Ramyeh has attempted this same caper before he was the age of 18 at the very same store with apparently the exact same result: getting caught,” Beach noted. “Apparently you didn’t refine your plan very well, Mr. Remyeh.”
According to prosecutors, the men and a third person who is still at large entered Ulta, 1107 South Delano Court, around 1:10 p.m. and loaded baskets with the merchandise. Officials said they walked out with 51 bottles of perfume and cologne worth $6,368 and then fled in a stolen Chrysler 300.
One of the cologne bottles contained a GPS tracker chip, and Chicago cops tailed the Chrysler 300 until it stopped. All three occupants ran from the car as officers moved in.
Prosecutors said Reamyeh threw a handgun as he ran from police.
Shields has no criminal convictions. But Ramyeh has cases pending in juvenile court, prosecutors said, including a robbery, an aggravated battery, and a previous shoplifting case involving the same Ulta store.
In that incident, three people entered the store, took over $10,000 worth of merchandise, and fled in a stolen car that Chicago cops tracked down thanks to a GPS chip hidden inside one of the cologne packages, officials said.
Ramyeh is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, aggravated possession of a stolen motor vehicle, retail theft, and criminal damage to property. Judge Beach ordered him to pay a $10,000 deposit toward bail to be released on electronic monitoring.
Shields, charged with retail theft and criminal trespass to a vehicle, must post $1,000 toward bail and go on an ankle monitor, Beach said.
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