Boston Retail Thefts: Suspect Sought in Sunglasses Heist

Boston police are seeking 49-year-old Tyronne Burris, described as a bald, 6-foot Black man, on five warrants including larceny over $1,200 and receiving stolen property after investigators say he stole about 30 designer sunglasses on Oct. 19 from a Sunglass Hut on Boylston Street (roughly $30,000), part of about $78,000 in losses reported by that retailer. The investigations come amid a broader surge in retail thefts in Back Bay and across Boston, with retailers reporting about a 15% year-over-year increase and recent incidents at Lululemon on Newbury Street and a repeat shoplifting group that assaulted an employee at the Alo store in the Prudential Center. Surveillance footage shows suspects running out with armfuls of merchandise and using ruses to seize cash registers without displaying weapons; businesses have strengthened security and employees are being advised to observe and serve as witnesses rather than intervene. Retailers and city leaders, after a City Council hearing, have urged tougher responses and increased police patrols. Officials are seeking public help identifying suspects, and point to international enforcement efforts — such as London’s Operation Zoridon, which produced dozens of arrests and large seizures — as models for cracking down on organized retail crime.