5 men steal 5 PS5s from Bowie GameStop: police

Retail theft on the rise despite recent arrests in Virginia, DC

Fairfax County investigators say they just broke up a retail theft crew. You may be surprised by what police believe these alleged thieves were after. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal reports from Tysons.

BOWIE, Md. - Five men dressed in all black entered a GameStop and stole five PS5 game consoles in Bowie on Tuesday afternoon, police say.

Bowie Police say the incident happened around 3:10 p.m. at the GameStop store on Emerald Way in Bowie.

The suspects fled the scene in two cars. Police briefly pursued the suspects on route 50 and route 450.

Tuesday's thefts are the latest in a slew of retail thefts across the D.C. area.

In the past week, $15,000 of merchandise was taken during a retail theft crew’s four-month stealing spree and more than $24,000 worth of mostly underwear was believed to be stolen in Northern Virginia.

"The retail industry continues to deal with unprecedented levels of crime, theft, and violence," said David Johnston of the National Retail Federation.

The National Retail Federation released a report late last year that found that shrink accounted for more than $112 billion in industry losses in 2022. As a result, 28% of retailers surveyed said they’d been forced to close a specific store location, 45% said they reduced operating hours and 30% said they reduced or altered in-store product selection, all of it as a direct result of crime.

"Issues are touching and impacting retailers of all sizes, segments, and locations across the United States," said Johnston.