Two men grabbed handbags and other items valued at more than $20,000 from Louis Vuitton in downtown Aspen on Thursday morning and fled out a side door when they were confronted by employees, police said.

The two African-American men entered the store before 10:30 a.m. and could later be seen on surveillance video taking handbags off the shelf and putting them into bags they were carrying, said Aspen police Assistant Sgt. Walter Chi.

Employees eventually saw what the men were doing, confronted them and they ran out, Chi said. Police arrived within five minutes but the two men were gone, he said. They were last seen getting into a silver sedan with California license plates.

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One of the men is larger than the other and was carrying a tan satchel or computer-type bag and wearing glasses. The other man had a smaller build, wore makeup and carried a purselike bag over his shoulder.

A manager at Louis Vuitton, located on Mill Street down from the Wheeler Opera House, declined to comment.

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Police on Thursday released still photos and video of the two men in hopes that someone may have seen them in town in recent days, Chi said. Anyone who recognizes the men or knows where they might have been staying or what kind of car they were driving can call Aspen police at 970-920-5400.

jauslander@aspentimes.com