UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — Surveillance cameras were rolling as a team of professional shoplifters targeted Suburban Opticians in University Place on Tuesday, stealing thousands of dollars in designer frames.
“Organized shoplifting really does seem to be on the rise,” said Pierce County Sheriff’s Detective Ed Troyer. “People coming in groups and teams and distracting people or shoplifting all at the same time and getting in and out before anybody realizes what’s happened.”
Surveillance cameras caught the three coming in and gave investigators a good look at their faces. The men appeared to browse and try on frames worth several hundred dollars each, then stuff them into their pants or hide them in hats as they moved through the store.
After seven minutes, the team walked out with at least half a dozen frames priced as high as $500 each. Investigators say the items will probably be sold online to unsuspecting shoppers looking for a bargain.
“You have Ebay and you have Amazon and a lot of ways to get these things online and sell them all over the country,” said Troyer.
Crime Stoppers of Tacoma and Pierce County is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the three men.
KIRO
