UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — That great deal on high end-designer eyeglass frames online may mean you’re buying stolen goods.
KIRO 7 obtained surveillance video from Suburban Opticians in University Place that shows a man using a punch to break the window before trying, and failing, to get inside.
Co-owner Melissa Rodriguez said it’s not the first time thieves have targeted the store.
“I’m tired of it. I was angry initially and now I’m just tired of it,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez says the thieves are after expensive frames and sunglasses with a retail price of $300 to $600. The thieves then sell them for much less online.
“They steal them from the store, put them on Offer Up, Craigslist, any number of easy sellable sites and can turn a really quick profit,” said Rodriguez.
“I got hit in May and then on Wednesday they broke my door, came in and stole about $6,000 worth of stuff,” said Dr. Curt Olin of Soundview Eyecare in University Place. Olin said he has stopped carrying some high-end brands because of the thefts.
“I got rid of Gucci just because they would come in and shoplift them,” Olin said. “Once we got rid of Gucci it got better.”
Most of the thefts are committed by shoplifters working in groups that come in and distract employees while accomplices quickly grab frames then head out the door.
“It feels very much like it’s more of a ring of people,” said Rodriguez.
Crime Stoppers of Tacoma and Pierce County is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the thieves.
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