Armed Chicago robbers steal eight watches worth MILLIONS from Lamborghini car showroom despite heightened cop presence: Owner blasts 'weak' Mayor Lori Lightfoot and State Attorney Kim Foxx
Another brazen smash-and-grab was caught on camera at a luxury car showroom in crime-stricken Chicago in which the suspects ran out with watches worth millions.
Two men came into Gold Coast Auto Gallery on Saturday and conducted the robbery in less than 20 seconds.
One stood by the door with a gun while the other smashed a display case with a hammer, stealing at least eight luxury watches.
Dealership owner Joe Perillo told FOX 32 Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other officials need to take action or businesses are going to leave the city.
'I have a place in the suburbs. The place is wonderful. There's no crime out there,' he said. 'People don't want to come into the city.'
Two men came into Gold Coast Auto Gallery on Saturday in Chicago's Near North Side neighborhood and stole millions of dollars worth of luxury watches
One stood by the door with a gun while the other smashed a display case with a hammer
The dealership is known for its selection of Bentleys, Lamborghinis and Rolls-RoycesTen customers, including children, were in the Near North Side neighborhood Bentley, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce dealership Saturday afternoon when the robbery took place.
The suspects, masked and wearing hoodies, entered the store around noon.
They ran off with the Richard Mille timepieces, some of which retailed at millions of dollars each.
The total value of the watches and exact models have not been shared, although the timepieces have been likened to supercars because of the level of engineering required to produce them.
Dealership owner Joe Perillo argued that Mayor Lori Lightfoot and other Chicago officials need to take action or businesses are going to leave the city
Employees ran after the robbers but were unable to apprehend them.
'We ran after them on Chestnut, all the way to State Street, and then they split up,' said Joe Abbas, dealership co-owner, told ABC 7.
Perillo said the robbers were 'smart enough' not to brandish their weapon.
'He was smart enough not to raise the gun, because my people had guns,' he said. 'If he raised that gun, he would have been shot, we'd probably be in court defending ourselves.'
Abbas, who is a father, noted: 'I have little kids. I don't want to get shot here.'
Thankfully, no one was injured during the robbery or chase.
Police, who had already issued extra patrols on Saturday after teenagers flooded the city's downtown last weekend and caused havoc, are still trying to identify the robbers.
Perillo is demanding that officials take additional action to keep citizens safe.
Ten customers, including children, were in the dealership Saturday afternoon when the robbery took place
The masked suspects ran off with at least eight Richard Mille timepieces, some of which retailed at millions of dollars each
The suspect smashed the display case with a hammer
'The mayor and Kim Foxx have to take a firm stand. It is wrong for someone to break into a place - if they get caught, they get let out!' he argued. 'If they get arrested, they get let go. So, how do you intend to ever solve that problem?'
He added: 'If they don't do anything about this, they're going to lose a lot of businesses. They lost Macy's. They're losing Neiman Marcus. They may lose this store.'
The owners have increased security at the store and plan to keep the doors locked, even during business hours. Perillo also said service will be by appointment only from now on.
The robbery comes as the Windy City sees a surge in crime, prompting stronger response from police.
'If you come downtown or anywhere else to engage in disorderly conduct or other crimes, you will be arrested,' Chicago Police Department Supt. David Brown told ABC 7 on Friday.
Police are still trying to identify the suspects
Employees ran after the robbers but were unable to apprehend them
As of December 5, 2021, thefts are up by a whopping 19 percent in Chicago, with police recording 11,865 cases.
The city is also seeing a rise in violent crimes, noting there have been 756 murders, a 4 percent rise from the 727 by the same time last year.
Criminal sexual assaults also rose from 1,522 last year to 1,943, a 28 percent increase.
Robbery was the only violent crime to see a drop so far this year by about 2 percent.
The robbery comes as the Windy City sees a surge in crime
Shooting incidents have also increased this year, with the Chicago Police Department reporting 3,347 so far in 2021, a 9 percent increase from last year.
Overall crime has gone from 43,338 cases in 2020 to 43,701 cases this year.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has routinely come under fire for the way she has dealt with crime after she publicly backed the 'defund the police' movement and proposed slashing $59million from the CPD budget, or 3.3 percent, and 600 vacant positions from the department, amid Black Lives Matter protests throughout the summer of 2020.
Meanwhile, Chicago District Attorney Kim Foxx is facing scrutiny after it was revealed she made an effort to help embattled actor Jussie Smollett get away with staging his own assault. Officials say Foxx liaised with the Empire star's relatives and tried to persuade the FBI to assume the investigation days after the attack.
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