8 arrested for Louis Vuitton theft after freeway chase

The chase reached speeds of around 100 miles per hour, the Pioneer Press says.

Eidsness said police forced the men to stop with a precision immobilization technique – that’s when police stop sideways to force the fleeing vehicle to stop.

At 10:09 a.m. Wednesday, an employee at the Louis Vuitton store in Edina reported that a group of people entered the store, stole some merchandise and then fled. There were no injuries at the store. WCCO-TV (http://cbsloc.al/1Cd66U9 ) says the robbery suspects took designer handbags.

A band of thieves struck a luxury fashion retailer in Edina late Wednesday morning and led police on a cross-metro, high-speed chase that ended with eight arrests in Woodbury, authorities said. They are now charged for stealing $20,000 worth of merchandise in Edina, Minnesota, south of Minneapolis.

Over the police scanner, officers called for Freeway Incident Response Safety Team (aka Highway Helper) assistance to search the interstate right-of-way for any stolen items that might’ve been tossed out the window of the van during the police pursuit.

Police followed the vehicle onto eastbound I-494. A bystander’s vehicle was hit during the chase, but no one was hurt.

“We do believe from our initial investigation this is part of a much larger theft ring and possibly even nationwide”, said Lt. Brian Tholen, Edina Police Dept. Minnesota authorities arrested eight men from Illinois.

Derrick Crowder, 22; William Percy Curry, 23; Clyde Edward Dobbs, 22; Thomas Dyshy Gaston Jr., 22; Darion Savon Hood, 21; Shawn Devon Mondie, 21; Danny Ray Robinson, 39; and Leon White, 29, were all charged with a single count of theft.