Brazen Beauty Store Bandits Target Ulta Salons Across Bay Area
MORGAN HILL (KPIX) -- Morgan Hill police said Thursday they're searching for a group of brazen beauty store shoplifters who, they say, have hit Ulta Beauty stores all over the Bay Area.
The Ulta Beauty on Cochrane Road, police told KPIX, has been hit eight times in the past six months. The latest burglary was Tuesday around 4:30 p.m.
"They don't have morals, they've got something lacking within themselves," said Ulta Beauty customer Debbie Perry.
Police released crystal-clear surveillance pictures of the five suspects involved in Tuesday's theft. They said the group swiped between $3,000 to $5,000 in expensive perfume in less than a minute.
The suspects even asked workers for bags that they used to stuff the merchandise.
"I was just disappointed that it happened here in our town," said Rachel Marquardt who said she shops at the Morgan Hill Ulta at least twice a month. "Hopefully they can catch the girls."
Investigators said other suspects have hit the Ulta as well, as well as Ulta stores in San Francisco, South Bay and East Bay and along the Peninsula.
The Salinas Ulta Beauty was also hit on March 18.
Although the suspects appear to be different in some of the thefts, they all commit the crime with the same MO: they run or walk casually into the store, grab expensive merchandise and then walk out as a group to a getaway car.
Police said it's been difficult to track down the suspects because they typically use stolen or rental cars.
The Ulta Beauty in Morgan Hill is next to the Highway 101, which gives the suspects an opportunity to make a quick escape, police told KPIX.
"If I was there I probably would do whatever I needed to do call 911 immediately," said Perry. "When somebody steals something ... it's very frustrating, it would get my blood boiling."
Police said they have several leads on the suspects and have been able to identify several in the group who already have warrants for their arrests for similar crimes.
"It's just -- it's terrible," Perry said. "These businesses are trying to stay open."
