A group of smash and grab robbers raided a Virginia eyeglass store and stole more than $20,000 of products.
This week, Fairfax County released in-store surveillance footage of four men raiding a MyEyeDr. store near Richmond Highway in Alexandria at about 6.30pm on April 19
The suspects are all black men and are believed to be between the ages of 17 and 23.
A fifth suspect, who was the group’s getaway driver, is also wanted by police. The men are believed to have fled in an older-model black Toyota Camry with tinted windows and black hubcaps.
In the video, the four men can be seen entering the shop, immediately smashing cabinet windows before filling up their trash bags with glasses.
‘The cops are on their way man,’ a person in the footage tells the robbers, as they continue to ransack the store.
No injuries from the burglary were reported.
April’s incident is the fourth robbery that happened in an eyeglass store in the DC area since the start of the year. All were carried out by smash and grab thieves.
Detectives continue to work with our law enforcement partners in the region to identify the suspects involved in this incident and are closely examining others that fit this same troubling pattern. We are asking for information from our community and reminding them they can remain anonymous through our Crime Solvers tip line,’ Chambers added in Thursday’s press release.
Smash and grab robberies have been increasing across the country over the last few months, particularly in California and New York.
A group of thieves in the Big Apple broke into a jewelry store in the Bronx, stealing an estimated $20,000 in chains and pendants on May 1, after smashing their way through the front window with a sledgehammer.
Another similar incident, about two-and-a-half miles away in the Bronx, was reported to the NYPD on April 3. A group of robbers had also used a hedge hammer to break into a jewelry store’s front window and stole about $50,000.
Meanwhile, violent crime has soared in the metropolitan D.C. area, which includes Alexandria, as police recorded a 24 percent spike this month compared to May 2021, according to public data.
So far this year, D.C. has seen 812 robberies, a 53 percent increase compared to last year, when there were 531 going into May. Motor vehicle theft has also gone up by 10 percent. Last year, 1,013 vehicles were reported stolen at the start of May, while this year there have been 1,112 so far.
However, sexual abuse reports have gone down, as 50 of them were filed in May 2021 while 39 of them were issued this year – a 22 percent decrease.
Assault with a dangerous weapon has remained steady this year compared to last year, with a one percent decline. Last year, 474 claims were made while this year, seven fewer (467) have been filed.