The Los Angeles Police Department recently released surveillance video of one of the incidents, which took place at a Whole Foods store on Sept. 10 between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
The footage shows one of the incidents. In the video, the thief casually walks up to a shopper, grabs a wallet from her purse and walks off.
"Suspect acts like a customer, walks by the purse and grabs the wallet from the purses," said Officer Mike Lopez.
Both victims were female shoppers who had placed their purses in their cart while shopping, police said.
The suspect was described as a black man between 30 and 40 years old with black hair and brown eyes. He stands at 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs approximately 180 pounds. He was seen wearing a white shirt, gray pants and black tennis shoes with white soles.
If you have any relevant information about this investigation, you're urged to contact Detective R. Hernandez or Detective J. Cardenas at (213) 922-8216. You can also submit anonymous tips by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.