HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Police are investigating after they said three crooks were caught on camera walking through the front door of a perfume store in Hollywood, making off with tens of thousands of dollars in fragrances in early April.
“They cleared out the men’s section products, about $30,000 in merchandise, plus around $10,000 in damages,” said Adi Schwartz Gomez, owner of the Perfume Outlet, located at 2111 N. State Road 7.
The burglary occurred around 11 p.m. in early April. The thieves, who police said were covered in hoodies, were seen approaching the business off State Road 7 and West Park Road.
“One of them parks, walks up, bashes out the two cameras outside the store, and then the car backs up,” said Schwartz Gomez. “Two other guys come out and break through the door.”
The crime mirrors recent break-ins at two other fragrance boutiques in southwest Miami-Dade.
Perfumes and I reported a loss of more than $20,000 in stolen merchandise, while Sadu Luxury Perfumes reported over $30,000 in stolen products.
Gomez believes the same criminals hit her store.
“A friend of mine sent me your story and said, ‘Oh my God, this looks just like what happened to your store,’” Gomez said.
Business owners point to similarities in the crimes, such as the same Mercedes seen at multiple scenes, the same black bins used, and even the same white hoodie spotted in the footage. Miami-Dade Police detectives are investigating whether the same individuals are responsible for all three crimes.
“They are being investigated individually, but we’re not discounting the possibility that it could be the same individuals, and we’re in contact with other local law enforcement agencies,” said Detective Andre Martin, a spokesman for the Miami-Dade Police Department.
Detectives believe these stores are being targeted because products like perfume are untraceable and can fetch high prices on the black market.
Hollywood police said they are working with neighboring jurisdictions, but in the meantime, small business owners continue to suffer.
Anyone with information on any of the cases is urged to call Hollywood police at 954-764-4357 or 911.