AUSTIN (KXAN) — A group of people were accused of stealing luxury watches worth hundreds of thousands of dollars during Formula One weekend at Circuit of The Americas, according to Travis County court documents.
Austin Police called the robberies an organized crime that showed clear planning and coordination.
PHOTOS: Celebrities take over the track at Formula 1 Weekend
“The group targeted wealthy individuals that were wearing high-end luxury watches,” court documents said. “These specific watches retail for hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Court documents said a woman would pretend to fall and remove the watches when the victim offered a hand to help them back up. APD said two Richard Mille watches were stolen this way.
Police said the woman worked with a group of men, who assaulted the victims while the watches were removed.
According to court documents, police were able to arrest one of the suspects, a 39-year-old woman, after one of the victims witnessed the same thing happening to another person the next day at COTA.
While executing a search warrant, police found that the woman involved in the crimes and a group of others were staying at a short-term rental in Lago Vista during the race weekend.
