CHICAGO — A luxury boutique on the famed Magnificent Mile was burglarized Saturday morning by up to eight men who hauled away a massive amount of high-end leather goods.
The break-in at Bottega Veneta, 800 North Michigan, occurred just a few hours after an armed man broke into the nearby DIOR store after closing time on Friday and stole merchandise while threatening the staff with a gun.
Around 5:32 a.m. Saturday, Chicago police received calls of a panic alarm and a burglary in progress at Bottega Veneta. 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 getaway cars were a dark Ford F-150 and a white Nissan Altima, a Chicago police spokesperson said.
The store’s losses will be in the tens of thousands of dollars, according to a source. An officer at the scene radioed that “pretty much the whole store” was empty.
Just four days ago, Crain’s reported that Bottega Veneta will be moving out of the Mag Mile location for new digs at 41 East Oak Street, right around the corner from the DIOR store.
A similar raid occurred at the store at 4:39 a.m. on Christmas. 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.
CPD released surveillance video of the burglary in early January. The footage showed one man getting out of the vehicle with a tool, possibly a sledgehammer, while the other two climbed out with large blue trash bins.
After the first man broke through the store’s front glass, the trio made entry, loaded the trash cans with the store’s pricey purses, and fled. Watch:
No arrests were ever announced in connection with the burglary.
Around 10:47 p.m. Friday, a gunman pried open a door in the alley behind DIOR, 931 North Rush, and made his way into the store, which was closed for the night.
But staff was still on hand, and he threatened them with a handgun while collecting items from the store shelves.
He loaded the merchandise into a black Yukon truck in the alley and drove away, police said.