Masked, Armed Juveniles Arrested At Gurnee Mills: Authorities

GURNEE, IL — Four people — who were wearing masks and were armed — were arrested at Gurnee Mills during a recent police sting meant to target retail crimes at suburban shopping malls.

The operations, which led to several arrests and the recovery of stolen merchandise, vehicles and illegal firearms at Gurnee Mills in Gurnee and Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, involved law enforcement sweeps spearheaded by the Attorney General’s Organized Retail Crimes Task Force, according to a news release.

During the operation at Gurnee Mills, 6170 W Grand Ave., the task force and local police apprehended the four masked and armed suspects inside the mall. Three of the suspects were identified as juveniles, according to a news release from the attorney general's office.

Weapons charges have been filed in the case, Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart said.

During the blitz, authorities also recovered two stolen vehicle.

“We are proud of the partnerships we have built with the attorney general’s office and our retail stores in Gurnee,” said Gurnee Police Chief Brian Smith “Safety in and around our shopping centers has always been a top priority, and together we were able to enhance those safety measures and take several people into custody.”

During the sting at Woodfield Mall, two women, Tiffany Kindred, 42, of New York, and Shaneka Monroe, 27, of New Jersey, were arrested. Authorities found $3,000 worth of products on the women. They are accused of stealing items from numerous Apple stores, and were trying to steal more from the Woodfield Mall Apple store at the time of their arrest, according to police.

In a separate incident at Woodfield Mall, two women, Amelia Smith, 33, of Palatine, and Arnold Misher, 28, of Chicago, were busted trying to use a theft detection device remover to steal items at The Gap retail store, according to the news release.

Police found more stolen merchandise in their car, authorities said.

“My office is aggressively targeting retail crime and through our Retail Crimes Task Force, is working in tandem with other law enforcement agencies to enhance the public’s safety. I would like to commend our investigators and thank all of the participating law enforcement agencies and retailers for their partnership in these operations,” Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said. “These arrests demonstrate the importance of collaborations between state and local law enforcement to better protect communities and hold individuals accountable.”

The Secretary of State Police and the Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Task Force also participated in the recent retail stings at Woodfield Mall and Gurnee Mills.

Earlier this month, investigators from Raoul’s office collaborated with members of the Cook County Regional Organized Crime Task Force, the Oak Brook Police Department and DuPage County Sheriff’s Office for an operation at the Oak Brook Mall in DuPage County. During that sting, two people were arrested and now face charges through the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office.