“Someone’s making a living off of doing this sort of thing.”
Police in Tampa, FL, say thieves have for several months been targeting high-end optical retailers in the area.
There have been six cases since May, WTVT-TV reports.
In the latest crime, three unknown suspects backed up a white van to the front door of Patterson Eye Center and used a pry bar to enter the business, according to Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay. They used plastic garbage bags to steal over $7,000 worth of eyeglasses before fleeing in the van.
(Scroll down to watch a news video that includes surveillance footage of the crime.)
Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the suspects.
Steve Hegarty of the Tampa Bay Police Department tells WTVT that the half-dozen optical-shop cases could all be related, though that’s not certain.
“But someone’s making a living off of doing this sort of thing,” he said.
The culprits are likely selling the glasses at cut-rate prices — possibly via the internet, authorities say.
Read more at WTVT
Read more from Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay