INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - Four female thieves, caught on camera, all worked together Saturday evening to steal cash from an Indianapolis beauty supply store.
It happened at King’s Beauty on West Michigan Street, right across the street from a police station and at a store that has 16 separate cameras watching shoppers’ every move.
The surveillance video shows four women work in concert to commit a crime.
Security cameras at King's Beauty Supply capture them come in two by two, with a carefully orchestrated plan, targeting cash.
"This is a robbery. They just didn't have a gun,” said King’s Beauty owner, Jennifer Woo. "They didn't come here for product. They came here for cash."
It was a distraction game.
Two women are seen on video asking for employees’ help at the back of the store, while the others pretend to look at products, then divide up and go in search of cash.
"They tried to distract us. Make us busy and make sure we stay away from the register,” Woo explained. "She kept flashing cash saying ‘I have money. I'm gonna buy, I'm going to buy it’ but I need your help."
One of the women goes for the office door, while another plays lookout.
When she comes up empty-handed and couldn’t find cash in the office, they change tactics and the crime sinks even lower.
"She crawled and go behind the register. I heard a noise and looked up there, but didn’t see anything. Then later on camera, I saw her crawl.”
It's true.
Video shows one of the thieves crawl on the ground to get behind the counter and go for Jennifer's bag, which had deposit cash and credit cards inside.
"My purse was at the corner over there inside and she grabbed it and handed it to other lady,” Woo said. "She grabbed my purse like nothing ever happened and then left."
And the thieves did all of that with eyes watching - a lot of them.
There are 16 cameras along the walls and ceiling of thEstore.
"I guess they didn't even care,” Woo said, shaking her head.
But those high-quality images that clearly show the thieves’ faces are important for police.
They’re important for Jennifer, too.
She’s owned the business for 18 years and never had anything like this happen before.
She hopes these women are caught because they were so bold to commit a crime right in front of her cameras.
"They’ve done this before obviously,” Woo said. “It happened to me and it'll happen to other business. So hopefully if they can get them, that would be nice."
Jennifer Woo got a call Monday that police found her ID.
It was all the way in Lafayette, an hour away.
Investigators told her someone discovered the ID thrown in their yard and turned it in.
The cash and credit cards though, are gone.
If you recognize any of the four women in that video, police ask that you call Crimestoppers at 317-262-tips.