By
Bloomberg
Published
September 11, 2025
Chicago police are investigating a deadly car accident that followed an alleged burglary at Louis Vuitton’s flagship store in the city’s Magnificent Mile, a high-end shopping corridor that draws tourists from around the world.
Officers responded after a pickup truck rammed through one of the store’s display windows early Thursday, police said. Local media dubbed the apparent theft a “crash and grab,” and mobile phone footage showed people jumping out of other vehicles, running into the store and escaping with bulging bags and suitcases.
Police said the alleged offenders then fled in multiple automobiles, including a Kia Stinger that later hit a Honda CR-V, killing the Honda’s driver. The Honda wasn’t involved in the burglary, police said. Five people from the Kia were taken into custody and transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police also arrested two other alleged offenders who were located after a second car driven from the Louis Vuitton store lost control on Lake Shore Drive.
The incident occurred as President Donald Trump has been threatening to deploy the National Guard to the third-largest US city to tackle what he has labeled rampant crime and disorder. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have repeatedly argued that there’s no emergency that warrants the use of federal troops.
A spokesperson for Louis Vuitton, the biggest brand of French luxury group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Despite the high-profile incident, overall violence in Chicago has fallen. The city, which usually sees a surge in violent crime during the warmer summer months, recorded the fewest homicides in the June through August period since 1965, according to police data.
