Security video captured a mob of thieves ransacking a Nordstrom Rack in Riverside and escaping with thousands of dollars worth of designer handbags.
This particular Nordstrom Rack located at 2660 Canyon Springs Parkway was targeted twice in the past two months, according to the Riverside Police Department.
In the first video, a group of at least six people are seen entering the store and heading directly to the handbag and accessory section on July 10.
The thieves quickly get to work, grabbing armfuls of designer totes, crossbody bags, shoulder bags and more.
The suspects are seen violently snatching the bags from display shelves while others are seen ripping the purses from security lock devices.
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Security video captured a mob of thieves ransacking a Nordstrom Rack in Riverside and escaping with thousands of dollars worth of designer handbags. (Riverside Police Department) -
Security video captured a mob of thieves ransacking a Nordstrom Rack in Riverside and escaping with thousands of dollars worth of designer handbags. (Riverside Police Department) -
Security video captured a mob of thieves ransacking a Nordstrom Rack in Riverside and escaping with thousands of dollars worth of designer handbags. (Riverside Police Department) -
Security video captured a mob of thieves ransacking a Nordstrom Rack in Riverside and escaping with thousands of dollars worth of designer handbags. (Riverside Police Department)
The mob of thieves is then seen sprinting out of the store with the designer purses before driving away from the scene.
In the second incident, two men are seen exiting the same store after stealing an undisclosed amount of merchandise on Aug. 14. Security cameras captured the men’s faces as they calmly walked out the door.
This incident marks yet another case of a flash mob robbery taking place across Southern California over the past few weeks including previous incidents at:
-A Nordstrom at the Westfield Topanga mall
-A luxury handbag theft in Glendale
-A YSL store at the Americana at Brand in Glendale
-A luxury denim store in Hancock Park
-A Nike store in East L.A.
-A store in Huntington Beach
-A Gucci store at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa
In most flash mob robberies, a large group of thieves will overwhelm store employees and security guards while grab as many items as possible before fleeing. Their hauls often exceed $100,000 since many of the targeted stores are high-end retailers.
Law enforcement agencies and prosecutors across L.A. County have since announced the establishment of a task force aimed at stopping the rising number of “flash mob” style thefts in SoCal.
“These are not victimless crimes,” said L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. “No Angeleno should feel like it is not safe to go shopping in Los Angeles. No entrepreneur should feel like it’s not safe to open a business in Los Angeles.”
Police are working to track down and identify the suspects and are asking for the public’s help.
Anyone who may recognize the suspects is asked to call Riverside Police at 951-354-200. Anonymous tips can be emailed to RPDTips@RiversideCA.gov or submitted through the Riverside Police Department’s “Atlas 1” mobile app.
The full video of the robbery can be seen in the video player above.
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