CHICAGO — Armed robbers held up a pricey boutique in downtown Chicago on Tuesday afternoon. It’s the latest in a string of robberies and burglaries of high-end retailers on and near the Magnificent Mile.
Chicago police did not identify the business that was robbed on Tuesday, but cops were seen entering and leaving MCM, 540 North Michigan. The store specializes in luxury leather goods, clothing, and accessories.
Officially, a CPD spokesperson said two men entered a business in the 500 block of North Michigan around 2:29 p.m. One man pointed a gun at the store’s security guard while the other man collected merchandise from the displays.
Both robbers escaped in a cream-colored Range Rover, which headed south on Michigan Avenue.
An officer at the scene said store employees believed three handbags and three backpacks with a combined value of just under $8,000 were taken.
Over the weekend, a smash-and-grab burglary crew broke through the front glass of MAC Cosmetics, located two doors down from the MCM store, and stole merchandise early Saturday morning.
On August 5, an armed man forced his way through the back door of the DIOR boutique, 931 North Rush, after closing time. Employees were still inside the business when the man broke in, pointed a gun at them, and fled with merchandise, police said.
Prosecutors have charged Anthony Bowens, 53, with that crime.
Just hours after the DIOR robbery, up to eight men broke into Bottega Veneta, a luxe leather goods store at 800 North Michigan. The retailer specializes in high-end leather goods like purses and shoes. Handbags at the store can retail for more than $4,000 each.
Police said seven or eight men entered the store by smashing a front window. Once inside, they gathered shoes and clothing, then fled in two vehicles.
The MCM store has been targeted in burglaries, too. In an unusual case, a North Carolina man was accused of throwing a brick through the store’s front window on a Sunday evening in June 2020 because passersby weren’t giving him money for panhandling, prosecutors said.
Austin Kent, 18, took a belt, backpack, and shoes reportedly worth $1,785. Chicago police arrested Kent a few minutes later as he tried to escape on a CTA bus.
Judge Mary Marubio released Kentz on a recognizance bond. He stopped showing up for court dates, and a warrant has been out for his arrest since February 2021, according to court records.