New Trend Afoot: Stealing Sneakers

Expensive sneakers appear to have surpassed designer eyeglass frames in Philadelphia as the most popular item stolen by juveniles, a city attorney said Wednesday.

Assistant Dist. Atty. Frank Gilbert said that he has prosecuted between 12 and 15 cases in the last few months in which juveniles attacked youngsters and robbed them of their shoes.

Gilbert said that the latest theft trend follows the attraction of expensive Gazal eyeglass frames, which were the common target of young thieves about one year ago.