Suspects Charged With Stealing $90K in Handbags from East Hampton

Four suspects were nabbed following a police chase and a fifth is at large after they allegedly snatched more than $91,000 worth of designer handbags from the Balenciaga store in East Hampton, police said.

Three men and two women entered the store on Newtown Lane, grabbed the merchandise and fled the scene in less than 30 seconds, using a Dodge Durango as their getaway vehicle at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, police said. None of the suspects were armed, police noted.

A witness flagged down an East Hampton Village Police lieutenant, who gave a description of the vehicle to patrol officers. A sergeant then attempted to stop the speeding SUV on Main Street, but terminated the pursuit due to the safety risk, according to the police incident report.

East Hampton Village Police notified the surrounding law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for the vehicle, and a New York State Police trooper spotted it on Sunrise Highway near the Westhampton Beach exit and gave chase. When the SUV got a flat tire near Exit 69 of the Long Island Expressway and pulled over, the suspects fled into the woods, police said. Suffolk County police helicopters, police dogs, and patrol officers on foot later apprehended four of the five suspects in the woods.

Charged with felony counts of grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property were 28-year-old Ali Abul Harris, 25-year-old Jamal Revelt Johns, 24-year-old Wazir Rodgers, and 34-year-old Baseemah Tamika Davis, all of New Jersey.