'He turns and runs:' Thief caught on camera stealing valuable jewelry from spiritual shop



MILWAUKEE -- A thief stole a valuable piece of jewelry from a spiritual shop on Milwaukee's south side -- swiping the necklace in just seconds before running off with an accomplice.

Elizabeth Cruz said she takes pride in caring for every customer.

"That's the goal," said Cruz. "To help people find what they're looking for and help them get the things they need to do their work."

The crime happened at Botanica Milagro De La Cruz on Cesar Chavez Drive near Scott Street.

Elizabeth Cruz



"We sell crystals, candles, incense," said Cruz. "It's a spiritual, religious shop."

Surveillance cameras were rolling when the two men walked into the shop on Saturday morning, Oct. 26.

"They came in," said Cruz. "They were interested in the silver jewelry that we have."

Cruz grabbed a silver necklace for one of them to try on.

"He wanted to see how it looked on him or how long it was going to be," said Cruz.



Then, the unexpected happened in a place centered around peace and positive energy.

"He was looking at it," said Cruz. "He started taking it off like he was going to hand it back all the sudden he turns and runs off with it."

She said the stolen chain was worth roughly $430.



"It's frustrating because, you know, small business," said Cruz.

Cruz said she wanted to warn other business owners to be on the lookout for these guys.

"To give awareness, especially to the local businesses," said Cruz. "We all try to watch out for each other around here."



Cruz said she thinks she's seen the men in the area before, but wasn't sure of their names or where they ran off to after the crime.

She said she notified authorities about the theft and asked that anyone with information please contact police.