Six arrested after clothing thefts on opposite sides of town Thursday
Six people were arrested Thursday after two stores on opposite sides of town reported crimes an hour apart committed by a group of people using a white SUV, police said.
An employee of Burlington Coat Factory at 8225 E. Kellogg said the group came into the store shortly before noon, Lt. Randy Reynolds said. Some of them “grabbed armfuls of clothing items” and fled the store, he said.
They left in a white Dodge Durango, Reynolds said. About an hour later, six people entered the Famous Footwear store at 6720 W. Kellogg and began to grab shoes and socks.
When a clerk tried to intervene, a man in the group warned her that he had a gun, Reynolds said. As the SUV was leaving, an employee took note of the license plate.
Police officers spotted the Durango driving downtown and called for backup, Reynolds said. When the additional officers arrived, the Durango was pulled over in the 100 block of South Minnesota.
You hate to see somebody that young potentially ruin their whole life by doing something like this.
Lt. Randy Reynolds
One man ran from the SUV, tossing a gun onto the ground as he fled, Reynolds said. He was apprehended a short distance away and the gun was recovered.
The six people — three 19-year-old men and women ages 18, 19 and 21 — were taken to City Hall for questioning. Ultimately, one of the men and the 19- and 21-year-old women were booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on outstanding warrants.
The other three were booked into jail on suspicion of robbery, records show. One of the men was also booked on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a felon and two others were arrested on suspicion of shoplifting.
More than 50 pairs of blue jeans and jogging pants, worth an estimated $2,000, were stolen from Burlington Coat Factory, Reynolds said. Several pairs of shoes and socks were taken from Famous Footwear, worth about $600.
“It’s always disappointing when you have people that young that engage in that type of activity,” Reynolds said, adding that the charges they potentially face are “pretty serious.”
“You hate to see somebody that young potentially ruin their whole life by doing something like this.”
Stan Finger: 316-268-6437, @StanFinger
This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Six arrested after clothing thefts on opposite sides of town Thursday."