The masked bandit who stole Homeland Safety Kristi Noem’s dear Gucci bag containing $3,000 in money and different private gadgets has been arrested, sources advised The Put up Saturday.
Noem, 53, was on an Easter outing together with her household at The Capital Burger in Washington, DC, when the hooded thief stole the luxurious shoulder bag, which additionally contained her driver’s license, passport, DHS badge and residence keys on April 20.
The suspect was busted by the DC Metro Police and the Secret Service, sources stated.
The suspect’s identification was not instantly out there, although he’s believed to be one among two individuals concerned and half of a big east coast theft crew.
The perp is predicted to seem in court docket early subsequent week, sources stated. The hunt continues to be on for the second suspect.
The bag, out there for $4,400 per the label’s web site, was on the bottom on the former South Dakota governor’s desk when it was taken, in accordance with a grievance filed with native police.
The high-end purse additionally contained a Louis Vuitton Clemence Purse inside, which sells for $600, in accordance with the report.
Safety footage captured a white man in a N95 surgical masks, darkish pants, a “fur-type” collar and a ball cap raise the DHS honcho’s bag earlier than leaving the restaurant situated a few mile from the White Home.
The suspect glanced across the restaurant earlier than grabbing Noem’s bag, masking it along with his jacket after which hustling out of the restaurant, in accordance with sources who described the video.
“It was sort of stunning, really, as a result of it was sitting proper by my toes. I really felt my purse — he hooked along with his foot and drug it a couple of steps away and dropped a coat over it and took it,” Noem, who oversees the Secret Service, US Customs and Border Safety and the Coast Guard, recounted to podcaster Vince Coglianese.
“I believed it was my grandkids kicking me within the legs, however it was very professionally achieved,” she added on the “Vince” podcast.
“It tells me that this occurs on a regular basis to individuals, and that they dwell in communities the place it is a hazard and it reaffirms why I’m right here.”
The Secret Service supplies safety for the secretary, because it does for the president and different high-ranking officers. It was unclear whether or not the element was contained in the restaurant on the time of the theft.
Noem stated she was not sure if she was focused primarily based on her function as DHS boss, and deferred to investigators in regards to the thief’s motives.
It’s unknown which legislation enforcement company apprehended the suspect.
DHS didn’t instantly reply to The Put up’s request for remark.
