A band of thieves struck a luxury fashion retailer in Edina late Wednesday morning and led police on a cross-metro, high-speed chase that ended with eight arrests in Woodbury, authorities said.

About $20,000 worth of merchandise was stolen shortly after 10 a.m. from the Louis Vuitton store in the Galleria mall, and the suspects fled in a minivan down France Avenue, Edina city spokeswoman Kaylin Eidsness said.

Eidsness said police suspect that the men "are part of a larger theft ring that is targeting high-end stores."

The van jumped on eastbound Interstate 494, raced through several suburbs and then found its way onto I-94 in Woodbury, Eidsness added.

The pursuit at times reached speeds of up to 90 miles per hour, she said, and at one point the van swerved around some police "stop sticks" on the pavement and hit another vehicle.

Shortly after 10:30 a.m., the chase ended about 30 miles later when a Bloomington police officer used his vehicle to ram the fleeing van to a halt.

The eight suspects were booked into the Edina jail ahead of their transfer to the Hennepin County jail in downtown Minneapolis, Eidsness said.

No one was injured from start to finish, and no weapon was displayed while the men were in the store, she added.

The men are from Illinois and range in age from 21 to 38 years old. They have yet to be charged.

Police have yet to say exactly what was taken from the store. At one point in the chase, something was thrown from the van, which didn't have any license plates, Eidsness said.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482