GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Police Department arrested four individuals believed to be part of a large burglary ring on Sunday after they attempted to break into a local Best Buy.
Investigators say that officers responded to 4610 South 76th Street about 4 a.m. Sunday after receiving calls about a burglar alarm going off inside of the store.
"This was a big one," Asst. Chief Dave Patrick with Greenfield Police said. "They were very active. They were hitting every few days. They weren't slowing down. They had perfected what they were doing."
When officers arrived on scene, they attempted to stop a vehicle quickly exiting the parking lot from the back of the store, investigators said.
A short chase, nearing 70 mph, began that ended up in the 6500 block of Interstate 43. It ended after officers attempted a "pit maneuver."
Four male suspects including an 18-year-old, 19-year-old, 33-year-old and 41-year-old were taken into custody. The Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department temporarily closed the freeway while officers apprehended the suspects.
Police believe that the suspects were involved in at least 25 other burglaries that targeted large box stores like Ulta, Art's Cameras Plus, Kohl's, Macy's and Best Buy in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. Investigators estimate total losses to exceed over $1,000,000.
Charges are expected to be filed by the end of the week, but police think this is just the beginning for what they call a large criminal organization.
"We know it's a big group of individuals tied together," Patrick said. "We have hundreds of hours of video tape we're combing through. We know there are a lot of individuals but this is the start to start tying all of this together."
Best Buy has not responded to requests for comment.
