(NewsNation) — A new form of theft is hitting stores: “crash-and-grabs,” where thieves crash a vehicle into a store before they begin stealing.
The trend is occurring nationwide, but these kinds of burglaries have been vexing police in many large cities like Chicago, where criminals often use stolen cars to commit these crimes.
These incidents are part of a much larger wave of shoplifting hitting the country from coast to coast.
Police are warning about crimes ranging from porch pirates pinching gifts from people’s doorsteps to “follow home” robberies, where robbers tail someone to their home and then make off with their goods.
These incidents are occurring as analysts estimate that Americans spent nearly $10 billion on Black Friday.