The owner and founder of a luxury consignment shop in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood had a pointed question after thousands of dollars worth of handbags were swiped from the store Wednesday: "Where is our police protection?"
Corri McFadden was visibly frustrated in recounting how repeated calls to 911 went unanswered after three men -- two of them dressed as women -- ran off with bags from Louis Vuitton, Celine and Givenchy from the eDrop-Off store on the 2100 block of Halsted Street.
"This is a problem," she said.
Wednesday's heist occurred after another unconfirmed robbery in the area a day earlier. Two weeks ago and less than a block away, the Londo Mondo boutique was robbed at knife point.
Security cameras recorded the latest incident. Receptionist Mary Kate Farley said she felt uneasy immediately after she buzzed the three men through the locked entry.
"You get a gut feeling the second that happened," she said.
McFadden said the thieves knew exactly what they wanted.
Local
"It all happened very quickly. The one walked over to the table [and] grabbed two bags. The other one grabbed a bag and then the male grabbed two bags," she said. "I come running out of my office, grabbed the male by the necklace but he slipped away, and then I chased him for around four to five blocks."
The thieves got away, and while there was a noticeable police presence in the area after the incident, McFadden and her staff all claim the response was severely delayed. Further, she said what one officer told her will stick in her mind as long as the crime itself.
"One officer looked me in the eye and said, 'You need to get your conceal and carry,'" she recalled.
A Chicago police official said the response was based on three facts: it was a retail theft, there were no weapons, and no one was injured.
