A clothing store in a trendy Chicago neighborhood is one of the latest victims of a so-called flash mob robbery — when a large group storms into a shop to collectively rip off a retailer.
About 20 people entered the Mildblend Supply Co. in Wicker Park on Saturday afternoon, together grabbing more than $3,000 worth of high-priced denim jeans, according to police.
“I’ve gotten somewhat immune to the shoplifting here with young people, but this one was certainly different,” store owner Luke Cho told NBC 5 Chicago Sunday.
Cho described the group as a teenage mob. Only four staff were in the store to oppose them, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
“They completely overwhelmed us,” Cho told NBC 5. “I went to lock the door and there were a dozen more waiting to come in.”
The frantic scene was caught on store surveillance, which was posted on YouTube.
The youngsters are seen milling around one section of the store and rummaging through the stacks of jeans. At least one of them is caught stuffing a pair into his backpack as the group begins filing out of the store.
Alarmed by their presence, Cho said, he tried locking the doors.
“I think I kind of maybe stopped the flow a little bit, but I quickly realized something bad’s about to happen, and I alerted my staff to call 911,” Cho told CBS 2 Chicago.
He said the thieves were interested in a brand called Nudie Jeans, which retail for about $200 a pair.
“They knew what they wanted and went straight for it,” Cho said, according to NBC 5.
The teens weren’t trapped inside his store for long, unlocking the doors and taking cover in a local street fair.
It took police about 30 minutes to get to the store because the outdoor festivities closed off local streets, Cho said.
“They [the teens] basically pushed us aside,” Cho told the Sun-Times. “We were standing by the door. My staff got cuts and bruises and banged around until [the thieves] unlocked the door and got out.”
No one was arrested in connection to the thefts, police said Sunday.
Other flash mobs have been caught on tape stealing in recent months, including teens who robbed and trashed a Seattle-area supermarket in June.
Any of you kids in this video? If I ever saw this shit in real life, I would stab you California style.
