Chicago — While Santa Claus was making his final deliveries of the year on Christmas morning, a three-man smash-and-grab crew was burglarizing a pricey boutique on the Magnificent Mile, according to a Chicago police report.
The break-in occurred around 4:39 a.m. at Bottega Veneta Chicago, 800 North Michigan. The high-end clothing and accessories retailer, located directly behind the historic Water Tower, has been a frequent target of shoplifting mob raiders. Now, a burglary team has raided the shop.
Chicago police said a white van pulled up near the store, and three offenders got out. They broke a pane of glass near the store’s front entrance and went inside, a CPD spokesperson said.
Once inside, the group gathered merchandise, returned to the van, and fled the scene, police said.
Surveillance video showed the van heading east on Chicago Avenue and then north on Lake Shore Drive after the burglary, an officer said. A CWBChicago reader provided video of the scene:
Chicago police did not provide an estimate of the store’s losses. In the past, crews have focused on stealing the store’s handbags, which frequently retail for more than $4,000 each.
