The rash of "blue jean bandit" thefts in Atlanta has apparently spread to Decatur, where a clothing store was struck by thieves within an hour of a similar robbery in Buckhead.

Kaleidoscope, a clothing store on West Ponce de Leon in downtown Decatur, was robbed Wednesday afternoon, Decatur police Capt. David Hipple said. A group of young males pepper-sprayed employees before fleeing with high-end blue jeans and other apparel.

The same thing happened about an hour earlier, shortly before 4 p.m., at Brazil Fine Italian Menswear on Peachtree Road near Piedmont Hospital, Atlanta police spokesman Eric Schwartz said.

Two men came into the store and stayed about 10 minutes before leaving, only to return with about five or six other men. A female employee was pepper-sprayed and punched in the face by the suspects.

Police suspect the incidents are related. The suspects in the Decatur robbery fled the scene in a stolen gold minivan police say they think was used in the earlier Atlanta theft.

Atlanta and Decatur police plan to hold a joint news conference later this afternoon in Atlanta to discuss the incidents, Hipple said.

Police for months have been looking for a band of thieves who have been preying on high-end boutiques. Until now, the blue jean bandits have struck late at night, breaking glass windows and doors to gain entry.

Hipple said video footage taken from surveillance cameras at the Decatur boutique shows the suspects' faces. Decatur police chased the minivan after the incident but lost the vehicle in Atlanta, he said.

The daylight robberies are brazen, Hipple said.

"It happens quick, and I guess that's their advantage," he said.