My sister *and* the police, both unknowingly walked in on a robbery in progress.

[mrsilv04]

One day this past week, when my sister returned to the office after her lunch hour... she walked in on the office getting robbed.

She followed two police cars into the parking lot, and it kind of made her wonder as to why. It is a sleepy professional building with 3 other business tenants. She's an optician for two eye doctors. Since she had no idea what was going on or where, she just got out of her car and went in. The police didn't seem to be in any sort of a hurry... no lights/sirens and they had casually walked in, so she figured that whatever it was, it couldn't be much.

As soon as she walked through the front door, all heck was already breaking loose, they were getting robbed. Yes, a optometrist's office, at 1:00 in the afternoon. A man and a woman were in there grabbing eyeglass frames. The woman decided to bolt just as my sister walked in, and she nearly ran over my sister as she came through the door. At the same time, the man was resisting arrest. My sister stepped back outside to see which direction the woman ran, which helped the police catch her less than a block away.

The funny part was, the police weren't there for the robbery at all. One of the two robbers was wearing a home confinement ankle monitor that had gone into alarm, and the cops were simply following the GPS signal to take them back into custody... and the police also ended up unknowingly walking into the robbery as well.

It only took a few pair of eyeglass frames for it to be felony charges for both of them.

 

[RamFan]

Maybe the lenses will help with their foresight?

 

[97prizm]

Is there a market for stolen eyeglasses? The frames still need the correct prescription to be of any use. Seems like an odd business to steal from. Several robberies every year are stopped by accident or bystanders.

 

[ecotourist]

What a pair of losers. Robbing a place while wearing a home confinement GPS monitor.

And marketing stolen eyeglass frames couldn't be that easy either.

 

[Pew]

Guess they didn't see that coming!

I work downtown Chicago in a 26-ish story building and a few times we had random guys walk in, past "security" at the lobby and into our office suite at 345pm. Luckily a coworker was walking by and saw them look through somebody's purse, stopped them, and escorted them out. After that, the security did not let anybody without an ID or invite through.

 

[oil pan 4]

Is there a market for stolen eyeglasses? The frames still need the correct prescription to be of any use. Seems like an odd business to steal from. Several robberies every year are stopped by accident or bystanders.

Crack heads will steal anything they think will get them some drugs.

 

[ripcord]

Crack heads will steal anything they think will get them some drugs.

They're probably not on crack these days, but you are not wrong, sir!

 

[himemsys]

Now they can see the error of their ways.

 

[mrsilv04]

Anyone who has bought eyeglasses lately know that the frames are not cheap, they are an average of $300 (the figure my sister told me).
But yes, as someone asked... what exactly is the secondary market here? Reminds me of the "underpants gnomes" episode from South Park.

And the business had to give the frames up as evidence (and they probably can't even sell them now anyway). So, less inventory for them to be able to sell moving forwards. It's just bizarre.

 

[ripcord]

Anyone who has bought eyeglasses lately know that the frames are not cheap, they are an average of $300 (the figure my sister told me).
But yes, as someone asked... what exactly is the secondary market here? Reminds me of the "underpants gnomes" episode from South Park.

View attachment 244926
And the business had to give the frames up as evidence (and they probably can't even sell them now anyway). So, less inventory for them to be able to sell moving forwards. It's just bizarre.

Eye glasses frames have one of the highest markups in retail. The manufacturing cost of acetate frames are well under $20.

 

[walterjay]

Hindsight is 20/20

 

[Owen Lucas]

It only took a few pair of eyeglass frames for it to be felony charges for both of them.

Low IQ behavior. I'm glad your sister helped get these imbeciles off the streets. I see you are in Illinois, hopefully the prosecutor doesn't just give lady just slap on the wrist.

 

[walterjay]

Total idiots.

 

[JohnnyG]

When certain frames can cost $800.00 or more, this was bound to happen. Most optometrist offices don't put these frames under lock and key.....yet.
And we're talking Illinois here. Although most big cities seeing an influx of strangers are under the same threat.

 

[Jetronic]

One day this past week, when my sister returned to the office after her lunch hour... she walked in on the office getting robbed.

She followed two police cars into the parking lot, and it kind of made her wonder as to why. It is a sleepy professional building with 3 other business tenants. She's an optician for two eye doctors. Since she had no idea what was going on or where, she just got out of her car and went in. The police didn't seem to be in any sort of a hurry... no lights/sirens and they had casually walked in, so she figured that whatever it was, it couldn't be much.

As soon as she walked through the front door, all heck was already breaking loose, they were getting robbed. Yes, a optometrist's office, at 1:00 in the afternoon. A man and a woman were in there grabbing eyeglass frames. The woman decided to bolt just as my sister walked in, and she nearly ran over my sister as she came through the door. At the same time, the man was resisting arrest. My sister stepped back outside to see which direction the woman ran, which helped the police catch her less than a block away.

The funny part was, the police weren't there for the robbery at all. One of the two robbers was wearing a home confinement ankle monitor that had gone into alarm, and the cops were simply following the GPS signal to take them back into custody... and the police also ended up unknowingly walking into the robbery as well.

It only took a few pair of eyeglass frames for it to be felony charges for both of them.

doing a riobbery while wearing an ankle monitor. What was he smoking?

 

[ripcord]

doing a riobbery while wearing an ankle monitor. What was he smoking?

Something on a piece of aluminum foil, probably

 

[FFFEMT]

"I see said the blind man, as he picked up his hammer and saw."

 

[pbm]

Low IQ behavior. I'm glad your sister helped get these imbeciles off the streets. I see you are in Illinois, hopefully the prosecutor doesn't just give lady just slap on the wrist.

Sadly a ‘slap on the wrist’ is very common in big cities with ‘enlightened’ DAs. For instance….in NYC it’s a felony to carry an unlicensed pistol and yet I’ve read that most people who are caught with one are out on the street shortly afterwards. Of course if the person has assets there will be a healthy ‘fine’ but if they don’t have money they’re out regardless. Is it any wonder there is so much crime.

 

[mrsilv04]

Saw the police report last week. Both were charged with theft, and both had drugs on them... they were charged with that as well.

Imagine that.

 

[zzyzzx]

Anyone who has bought eyeglasses lately know that the frames are not cheap, they are an average of $300 (the figure my sister told me).

If you are paying that much for frames, you don't know how to shop.