Crime

Group of women steal items from KC beauty store, threaten clerk with Taser, police say

A group of women who took items from an Ulta Beauty shop in the Northland are under investigation after they threatened a store employee with a Taser.

The incident was similar to other thefts in the area reported by retail stores. Detectives are investigating whether the shoplifting is connected, according to Sgt. Jake Becchina, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department.

Police were called shortly after 7:30 p.m. Monday to the Ulta Beauty cosmetics store on North Madison Avenue in the Northland. Officers were told seven women entered the store and filled their baskets with items. When they attempted to leave with the goods without paying, a clerk stopped them. One of the suspects allegedly pointed a Taser at the clerk, threatening to use it.

The suspects drove away in an unknown direction, said Becchina in a statement.

“The Ulta Beauty team is cooperating with law enforcement as the investigation continues,” Eileen Ziesemer, a spokeswoman for Ulta Beauty, said in a statement.

There were no reported injuries, she said.

The investigation is ongoing.

The Ulta Beauty on North Madison Avenue in Kansas City is shown in this Google Maps view.
The Ulta Beauty on North Madison Avenue in Kansas City is shown in this Google Maps view. Google Maps

This story was originally published December 23, 2021 at 2:17 PM.

Matti Gellman
The Kansas City Star
I’m a breaking news reporter, who helps cover issues of inequity relating to race, gender and class around the metro area.
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