Thousands in designer handbags stolen from Ross Park Mall store

ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Thousands of dollars worth of designer handbags were stolen from a Ross Park Mall store Thursday night, police said.

Ross Township Police said a group of people stole expensive Louis Vuitton purses from the designer's store on the lower level of the mall.

"There appears to be five in the group. The worker is distracted by a customer. They steal the purses and flee the area," Detective Brian Kohlhepp said.

Kohlhepp said the group of men and women ran out of the mall and got away in a car.

"We do have witnesses who saw the car and we are following leads on that," Kohlhepp said.

It was not immediately known how many handbags were stolen in the heist, however according to the designer's website some bags cost more than $3,000.

Ross Park Mall officials released a statement saying, "Any time that an incident like this occurs our first concern is for the safety of our customers and mall employees.  We at Ross Park Mall are committed to providing a safe, quality shopping environment for our shoppers and retail tenants."

WPXI