ROSS TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — There are new details to go along with the surveillance video police released of a brazen group of thieves that hit a local Louis Vuitton store and made off with thousands of dollars in merchandise.

Police say the heist took less than 30 seconds.

There are also indications the group may be behind similar thefts in other parts of the country.

The Louis Vuitton store in Ross Park Mall is on the lower level, near Nordstrom department store.

The high-end heist occurred Thursday around 8 p.m. when police say a group of five people entered the store.

The suspects are visible in a short section of surveillance video, which Ross Township Police released to the media on Friday evening.

“This is the video we’ve been permitted to release with Louis Vuitton,” said Detective Brian Kohlhepp, of Ross Township Police. “As is common in these cases, we don’t want to create a ‘how to’ video on different crimes.”

On the tape, first you see one person entering the store, and then two, followed by three.

Before store personnel have a chance to react, the suspects – who officials say grabbed up an undisclosed number of designer handbags – are out the door and into the mall itself, and then into a car.

“We’re exploring if this was a group that was… a professional retail group that works throughout the country, and they happen to be hitting this Louis Vuitton in Pittsburgh on this given day, or if it was a local group,” said Detective Kohlhepp. “Both of those options are being explored right now, and there’s a distinct possibility leading either way.”

The only description offered of the vehicle was an older-model, dark-colored car. No license plate number was given.

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Suspects Sought After Pricey Handbag Heist At Ross Park Mall (11/30/12)
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