A North Redondo Beach resident found himself without two pairs of pricey, special-edition sneakers designed by Kanye West after robbers stole them at gunpoint, according to the Redondo Beach Police Department.
The victim had just returned home Saturday night from the with two new pairs of Nike Air Yeezy 2 sneakers when a silver BMW pulled up and parked next to his car, police said in a news release. A person got out of the BMW, grabbed the victim from behind and held a gun to his cheek, demanding his shoes.
A man traveling with the victim tried to run from the car toward a nearby house, but a second person got out of the silver BMW and put him in a headlock until the first person grabbed the shoes, police said. The two robbers then released the victims and fled, police said.
Police have not determined whether the perpetrators followed the victims home from the mall, said Sgt. Shawn Freeman. If the victims were followed, "I can't recall a time … [when] suspects went to this great length to steal shoes."
The shoes weren't ordinary sneakers. A pair of the Nike Air Yeezy 2, designed by hip-hop artist Kanye West and released Saturday, retails for $245. However, at least one pre-ordered pair sold on eBay for more than $90,300, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Air Yeezy 2 sneakers are a limited-edition run of 3,000-5,000, the Times reported. Based on current eBay prices, the stolen shoes could be worth more than $2,000 per pair, if resold.
"We are actively investigating" the theft, Freeman said.
