Police in Chicago have reported a number of robberies committed at gunpoint where thieves have been targeting one particular item – Canada Goose jackets.
Over the past two weeks, police said there has been a spate of thefts in which people wearing the pricey luxury coats have been targeted and forced to give up the jackets as temperatures plunge in the city, the Chicago Tribune reported. On Saturday, temperatures in the Windy City were forecast as low as 3 degrees Fahrenheit.
Last week, six people had their Canada Goose coats stolen and two more were targeted Wednesday.
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Two men jumped from a Mercedes, showed a gun and punched a 54-year-old man before forcibly taking his Canada Goose coat and wallet Wednesday, police said. The same night, two men pulled a gun on a 23-year-old man walking with a friend and demanded his Canada Goose coat.
Surveillance footage showed a man being robbed of his coat, the Washington Post reported.
No one has been arrested in connection with the robberies.
The coats retail from $500 to $1,200, according to its website. The most expensive coat on the site currently costs $1,695. The popular jackets are recognizable by a patch on the coat’s arm that says “Canada Goose Arctic Program.” The jackets have been seen on a number of celebrities including rapper Drake and model Kate Upton.
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A few people told CBS Chicago that they were considering ditching the coats to avoid being robbed.
“I actually was just shopping, and I was looking for a coat that was a little less expensive just in case something like that was going to happen,” Terry Kraus, a Chicago resident, told CBS Chicago. “It’s disappointing that I saved up a lot of money to get this coat, and now I’m not even able to enjoy it.”
Howard O’Toole, who owns the coat, said he removed the patch off his coat because he didn’t want to give the company free advertising but said it may have paid off. He said others should consider ditching the patch as well.
“Why not? I mean you’re still left with a good jacket,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
