Watch: Police outwit shoplifters at Pennsylvania beauty store
Surveillance video shows the moment police say two shoplifters were arrested after trying to steal thousands of perfumes from a Pennsylvania Ulta Beauty store.
EXTON, Pa. – Surveillance video shows the moment police say two shoplifters were arrested after trying to steal thousands of perfumes from a Pennsylvania Ulta.
In a Facebook post on Friday, the West Whiteland Police Department said they received information about a plan to steal $10,000 worth of perfume from an Ulta in Exton.
Detective Scott Pezick told FOX 29 his department was told to be on the lookout for a red Nissan Altima that would be linked to further Ulta flights.
Perzick said authorities called the Ulta on Swedesford Road in Exton to let employees know their store might be targeted.
“I called them, told them what was going on, they asked what they should do, I said just make sure everyone is safe in there,” Perzick said.
On Friday morning, officers from the West Whiteland Police Department lined the Ulta parking lot and spotted the red Altima. A suspect entered the store for a few minutes and then returned to the car, police said.
Shortly after, investigators say Nyzaiah Williams, 19, and a 16-year-old entered the store and tried to fill laundry bags filled with perfume. The attempted robbery was caught on the store’s surveillance camera.
When the alarms for each scent began to sound, police said officers approached the suspects who attempted to flee. Surveillance video shows officers chasing and battling suspects in custody, knocking down shelves and store displays.
“As you can see they are very quick and we know they won’t give up easily,” Pezick said. The loot recovered from the attempted robbery amounted to $8,500, according to police.
Williams and the teenager are both from New York and were previously arrested in Connecticut for another Ulta robbery. The third suspect managed to escape in the red Altima.
Investigators do not rule out that they could be part of a larger ring.
The Ulta in Exton has been hit at least twice by shoplifters in the past four months, including a group of women who police say packed bags full of merchandise.
Earlier this year, police were looking for two women who allegedly stole $10,000 worth of makeup.
Pezick urged anyone seeing “anything suspicious” at Ulta stores to contact authorities.