Security guards at high-end stores in New York City are starting to feel helpless as thieves become bolder, looting their stores in broad daylight without bearing any repercussions.

One bold group of robbers strolled into a Lululemon store on 14th street and 9th Avenue on August 16, walking out with about $30,000 worth of stolen items. In the security footage, the guard at the door didn’t make any move to apprehend the criminals.

Shoplifter leaving Lululemon with armfuls of stolen merchandise

In the security tape, they’re seen entering the store with empty carts and laundry bags which they proceed to jam full of merchandise. After grabbing all they could, they walked out of the store without being pursued, much less acknowledged, by the security guard at the door.

The four men and three women who robbed the Lululemon store, likely 30 to 50 years old, have still not been taken into custody.

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According to security guards and employees at high-end stores NYC’s shopping districts, it’s “almost impossible” to stop these looters, and can sometimes be too dangerous to attempt.

A manager at Marni, Kirsten Aureden, told the New York Post, “We don’t confront. We don’t follow. We just let it go.”

“We were getting hit a lot in the spring, so now we lock the door,” she added. “We only let in a certain amount of customers at one time.”

At a nearby Dior store, a security guard shared the same sentiment, saying, “There’s no sense in stopping people. You don’t know what they’re going to do. Not only that, everything is insured.”

One security guard at an Apple store addressed his company’s policy that “shoplifters can’t get arrested or touched.”

“We used to be able to do things but those days are over,” added the security guard. “They just run amok. It’s frustrating.”

“I can’t wait to retire and get out of New York,” he continued. “I’m moving to Florida, where the laws still seem to matter.

Recent NYPD data reveals that there has been a crime spike of 80% in the NYPD’s 6th Precinct, fueled by a 103% increase in grand larceny and shoplifting.

A manhunt is currently underway in NYC for a burglar who carried out multiple robberies at high-end stores, accumulating $62,000 in stolen merchandise. The man has stolen from shops that include Scotch & Soda, Bonobos, Rag & Bone, and Christian Louboutin, where he stole $26,500 worth of clothing.

All his robberies happened between July 3 and July 23.

The suspect has been captured on security footage multiple times entering the stores and leaving with stolen goods.

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