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Weave Thieves at it Again in West End

Hair extensions were the only targeted product in a Tuesday morning smash and grab robbery.

 

The weave thieves have struck again.

Early Tuesday morning, thieves hit Angie's Beauty Supply and Salon,  1145 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd., in the Historic West End.

According to store employees, the robbers arrived around 4:50 a.m. Tuesday.

Using the same strategy as a June 17 break-in at Master Beauty Beauty Supply, 3031 Headland Dr., the thieves rammed a Jeep Cherokee through a glass window and metal gate that protected the front of the business. A surveillance video camera also captured a second unidentifiable van on the premises of the robbery.

The video shows several men climbing out of each vehicle and entering the store after the smash. Three of the men grab hair extensions hanging on a wall. Another male is seen checking the registers for cash.

Store employee Won Jung said the thieves targeted only cash and hair extension products. The hair extensions are sold at the store with retail prices of $90 to $100. The robbery took place in approximately one minute.

Jung also said that he received an anonymous tip on Wednesday that the hair extensions were being sold at a local high school. However, the informant did not reveal which high school. Jung has given the information to Atlanta Police.

Hair theft has grown significantly over the last few months.

A May 2011 New York Times story reported that "weave thieves" have stolen as much as $150,000 in extensions from a Houston salon and $90,000 of human hair from a beauty supply store in Chicago.

According to the Times article, packages of the most expensive hair type can cost as much as $200 in beauty supply stores, but stolen hair extensions are sold on the street for as little as $25.

If you have any information about this crime, please contact the Atlanta Police Crime Stoppers at (404) 577-TIPS. 

About this column: A report on some of the most important Cascade area police and safety news stories of the week. Related Topics: beauty supply robberies, hair extensions, and weave thieves

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