Three suspected thieves grabbed more than a dozen high-end Burberry purses and wallets from a downtown department store, fleeing on foot with what police say amounts to more than $8,500 dollars worth of merchandise.
At 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, police responded to a call of grand theft that had occurred at Nordstrom, 17 West Canon Perdido, according to Sgt. Riley Harwood of the Santa Barbara Police Department.
“The items that were taken were a number of Burberry handbags and wallets,” he said.
Store clerks reported that three suspects, a black male and two black females, entered the store and made their way to the handbag section.
The male suspect had a large Macy’s bag, into which the other suspects began to stuff approximately 15 Burberry purses and wallets, Harwood said.
“I think they were a little surprised at how brazen this was,” Harwood said of the clerks who observed the activity.
The suspects then exited the store onto Canon Perdido Street and ran westbound across Chapala, Harwood said.
The estimated value of the merchandise is over $8,500 but Harwood said the purses could likely only be sold by the suspects for a fraction of the retail value.
The black male suspect is described as 25 years old, about 6 feet tall, and was wearing a dark-colored beanie, black puffy jacket, white and black Adidas T-shirt, black Adidas sweats and white Adidas shoes.
A second suspect is described as a black female, about 25 years old, 5-foot-8, slightly heavyset and wearing a yellow coat, jeans and white tennis shoes, Harwood said.
The third suspect is described as a black female between the ages of 16 and 20, 5-foot-5, with a maroon and white colored beanie, a maroon puffy jacket, jeans and tennis shoes.
The investigation is still ongoing to arrest the suspects and recover the stolen property.
“We would certainly appreciate the call if someone believes someone is selling stolen property,” Harwood said.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
