Los Angeles Nike store robbed as shoplifters hit Topanga Nordstrom AGAIN – the latest in a troubling string of violent smash and grab incidents
A Los Angeles Nike store was hit by a pack of thieves who stuffed merchandise into trash bags and took off just days after an area Nordstrom was targeted similarly.
Video posted Sunday on the Citizen App shows the shocking robbery at the crowded Nike Community Store on Whittier Blvd. in East Los Angeles.
The robbery took place Saturday evening and involved two women and one man who were seen grabbing shoe boxes before exiting the store.
The incident is just the latest in a string of similar events where a group of thieves ransacks a store, overwhelming employees and getting away with thousands.
Around the same time on Saturday, a mob struck the Topanga Westfield Nordstrom, smashing and grabbing some $100,000 from cases near the store’s entrance.
The Nordstrom robbery was the second occurrence of its kind within a week.
According to officials with the Los Angeles Police Department, the robbery happened just after 5.30pm in the 4500 block of Whittier Blvd.
In the video, a male suspect is seen dropping his bag filled with shoe boxes and scrambling to clean it up as his conspirators continue.
Other guests are seen walking around the store unbothered as the man cleans up the disassembled shoes and then continues out of the store.
Two women are seen in similar situations, walking with trash bags full of clothing and shoes and leading the man out of the store.
In the latest incident, the group got away with roughly $1,000 in merchandise.
It’s unclear if the group fled on foot or if they had a getaway car waiting outside the store.
As of Monday morning, police said all three suspects are still at large.
These types of robberies appear to be on the rise and becoming all too common, especially in the Los Angeles area.
In another recent incident, a group of about 20 to 50 suspects struck a Nordstrom northwest of La La Land and swarmed the location.
Footage taken inside the store shows men in dark hoodies and face masks ransacking the department store at Westfield Topanga Mall, even resorting to attacking security guards with bear spray.
Videos have rapidly circulated on social media, depicting the mob shattering display cases and grabbing high-end designer accessories, some still affixed with electronic security tags.
One of the thieves was even seen pulling a large metal display shelf behind him as he fled, with a luxury leather bag still affixed to it by a security tag.
The group sprinted to the door in an attempt to make swift exit from the store, securing as much merchandise as they can carry.
The thieves took off with thousands of dollars worth of luxury handbags and designer clothing, an LAPD spokesman told NBC News.
The group swarmed the store at around 4pm on Saturday, scooping up armfuls of items, some inadvertently dropping amid the chaos, as they maneuvered around shattered glass and overturned mannequins.
The men appeared to be targeting the luxury Italian fashion brand Bottega Veneta, known for its signature woven leather handbags.
Investigators believe the group stole up to $100,000 in merchandise.
The criminals used bear spray to attack at least two security guard at the store. The extent of their injuries are unclear.
Bear spray, deployed from pressurized canisters, contains capsaicin and other ingredients that can inflame the eyes and upper respiratory system.
Mall goers were not evacuated and it is unclear if anyone was injured. There have been no arrests reported at this time. Police are searching for 30 to 50 suspects.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass responded to the incident in a statement issued Saturday evening: ‘What happened today at the Nordstrom in the Topanga Mall is absolutely unacceptable,’ she wrote.
In the statement, Bass assured the public that the police will find those responsible.
