Thieves target high-end fashion stores, pedestrians wearing luxury brands in wave of D.C. robberies

High-end fashion stores and items have been targeted by thieves throughout the District in recent weeks.

The Metropolitan Police Department said that a mob of as many as 15 young thieves raided the Chanel store in downtown D.C. on Sunday and made off with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.

The group robbery was reported at about 2:40 p.m. and the suspects were described as males between the ages of 17-25 years old, according to police. All were wearing black masks and dark clothing during the robbery, and their getaway cars were described as a white Infiniti and a black Acura SUV.

No one was injured during the robbery and no weapons were involved.

The Chanel store raid came after the District saw a spate of armed robberies involving Canada Goose down jackets in neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area.

The jackets, which can cost up to $1,000, were stolen from five victims in four separate incidents between Jan. 24 and Feb. 5, according to WJLA, the local ABC affiliate for the city.

Julian and Sheila Kaufman, a couple from New York City, were victims of a daylight robbery in Dupont Circle earlier this month.

“All of a sudden someone’s like, ‘Gimme your coat! Gimme your coat!’ And I thought, is this a joke?” Mrs. Kaufman told WRC-TV, the local NBC affiliate for D.C. “And then he waved a gun by me … and I took it off and gave it to him.”

Other robberies have taken place in the area around George Washington University, prompting school officials to put out an alert on the matter.