The Lululemon Athletica at 216 Columbus Ave (corner of West 70th Street) was robbed twice on Saturday. No weapons were used in any of the robberies and no one was injured, according to an NYPD spokesman.
The first robbery took place at approximately 10:04 a.m. Saturday, minutes after the store opened. We’re told two men entered and lifted $6,600 worth of merchandise before taking off. Both suspects are still at large.
The second incident took place around 4:45 p.m. This time it was four individuals: two men, a woman and an unidentified person left carrying bags of clothing and filled their bags with an estimated $9,700 worth of Lululemon gear.
The suspects in the two robberies remain at large.
ILTUWS observed two police officers filing a report inside the store on Saturday at 6:26 p.m
It is common for this Lululemon location to have a permanent security guard at the entrance. ILTUWS noticed a security guard inside Lululemon at the time police were filing their complaint, but it is unknown if security was present when the two robberies occurred.
It appeared to be business as usual when ILTUWS visited Lululemon on Sunday, with a security guard in place at the entrance. The store manager said they were unable to comment on the matter during our visit.
Earlier this month, Lincoln Convenience, just a couple of avenues away, was robbed for the second time in three days. A friend of the clerk was shot in the foot and the suspects made off with a large amount of cash and CBD oil.
Another area business, LensCrafters at 70th and Broadway, also experienced a double robbery late last year. Two thefts (within about a month) resulted in a loss of about $41,000 worth of glasses. At the same time, the Blue Marble Ice Cream at 97th and Broadway suffered multiple burglaries.
The New York Daily News reports that burglaries increased 37% in July 2022 compared to the previous year. Major thefts increased by 41%.
