Lincoln Park retailer robbed by men dressed as women

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Three men, two of whom dressed as women and wearing wigs, robbed a luxury consignment store in the Lincoln Park neighborhood Wednesday afternoon.

The store, eDrop-Off in the 2100-block of North Halsted, was robbed at about 3:40 p.m.

The robbery was captured by a store surveillance camera. The men came into the store and immediately raced off with several handbags - valued at $6,000, the store owner said.

Corri McFadden, who owns eDrop-Off, chased the men for several blocks, but did not catch them.

McFadden said she called 911 half a dozen times after the incident and kept being transferred to 311. She said she was told there is a new 911 protocol, which treats situations as non-emergencies if the offenders have left the scene and nobody is been injured.

"As a business owner and a retail owner who is invested in the city, that's a problem," McFadden said. "I'm invested with my tax dollars and the one time that I call for help, you can't help me?"

A Chicago police spokesperson said they are looking into that 911-311 issue.

eDrop-Off is located down the block from Londo Mondo, a clothing retailer which was robbed by a knife-wielding man a couple weeks ago. It's unclear if the incidents are related. Regardless, business owners in this busy retail area are on alert.

For additional information about the Chicago police department's policy for responding to incidents, click here.