Cops: 4 arrested for stealing $90,000 worth of handbags from East Hampton store

Thieves from New Jersey stole more than $90,000 in handbags from the East Hampton Balenciaga boutique before fleeing in an SUV from pursuing police, breaking down on the highway, and being captured after a foot chase, according to state police.

The theft was Thursday at 1:30 p.m. from the store, at 54 Newtown Lane, when "a number of subjects had entered the store and stole numerous handbags with an approximate value of over $90,000 and fled in a black Dodge Durango," state police said in a news release.

Following a report of the theft, an East Hampton Village cop tried and failed to stop the vehicle, whose driver did not comply. Then, a state trooper saw the Durango on Sunrise Highway near Exit 63, "but the driver again failed to comply and drove off. The Durango entered the Long Island Expressway and became disabled near the Exit 69 off-ramp, and the occupants attempted to run from the scene," the release said.

Four people eventually were arrested: Baseemah Davis, 34; Ali Harris, 28; Jamal Johns, 25; and Wazir Rodgers, 24 — all from Newark. "Numerous handbags were recovered from the scene identified as being from the theft in East Hampton," the release said. It did not say how the four are alleged to have stolen the bags.

The four were being charged with criminal possession of stolen property and grand larceny, with separate arraignments at village and Suffolk County courts. Other arraignment information was not immediately available. It was unclear if the four had retained attorneys.

A man who answered the phone at the Balenciaga store identified himself as the manager but refused to give his name or discuss the theft.

Balenciaga is a high-end fashion brand based in Paris whose bags can run into the thousands of dollars. One, the trapezoidal-shaped Women's Neo Classic Large Handbag in black — made in Italy of grained calfskin with black matte hardware — costs $3,350.