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Glendale Store Owner Says Theft Of $200,000 In Luxury Eyewear Took Mere Minutes

GLENDALE (CBSLA.com) — Authorities seek seven individuals in connection with the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in designer eyewear from a Glendale store.

Officers said the burglary at Blue Eyes Optical 1 ½ blocks from a police station on West Wilson Avenue occurred about 3:45 a.m. Sunday, and security cameras captured the group's every move.

"They didn't care. They're not scared of getting caught," said Gor Vartanyan, the owner of the store.

Vartanyan said the suspects made off with $200,000 worth of luxury glasses in two minutes exactly.

"It is really frustrating," Vartanyan said. "By the time the police arrived, they were already gone. Took them two minutes. Exactly, two minutes."

Adding to the Vartanyan's outrage, he says the incident wasn't the first time the store has been hit. Security video from 2012 showed a suspect make off with $40,000 in designer glasses.

Police said burglaries involving eyewear are becoming more common. Last year, cameras captured the theft of $20,000 worth of merchandise from Sunglass Hut in Valencia.

Investigators say a pair of designer glass can fetch hundreds of dollars and are easy to resell.

As police try to determine whether the suspects may have been involved in other burglaries, Vartanyan is offering a reward for information leading to arrests in this case.

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