Erick Lujano Bautista

A Chicago man is facing a theft charge after the Cook County Sheriff’s Police Organized Retail Crime Unit recovered thousands of suspected stolen shoes from a warehouse on Chicago’s West Side.

In January, Organized Retail Crime investigators said, they learned that a large number of stolen Nike shoes were being stored in a warehouse on the 1500 block of South Western Avenue.

Investigators determined that Erick Lujano Bautista, a resident of the first block of East Randolph Street, was subleasing the warehouse, according to Sheriff’s Police.

On Jan. 31, investigators executed a search warrant at the warehouse, where they recovered an estimated $1 million in Nike and New Balance shoes believed to be stolen.

Both shoe companies continue to work with Sheriff’s Police to determine from where the shoes were taken.

Police said Lujano Bautista was not an authorized seller of either brand.

On Feb. 1, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved a Class 1 Felony Theft charge against Lujano Bautista.

During his initial appearance hearing Sunday at the George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building, he was ordered released from custody pending trial.

Nike shoes are piled high in a warehouse on Chicago’s West Side, where Cook County Sheriff’s Police recovered an estimated $1 million in suspected stolen shoes. (Sheriff’s Police photo)

Sheriff Thomas Dart formed the Organized Retail Crime Unit in 2023. Last year, the unit recovered more than $3.6 million in stolen merchandise. The unit has recovered more than $4.5 million in stolen merchandise during the past nine months.

“My office—aided by financial support from Attorney General Kwame Raoul—will continue to aggressively pursue organized retail crime organizations, which have been shown to fund other illegal activity,” Dart said.

If convicted of the theft charge, Lujano Bautista faces from four to 15 years in prison.