Flash mob robbery: 6 in custody, including 4 juveniles, after brazen theft at Nike store in East LA
EAST LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Six people have been taken into custody in connection with the brazen theft of $1,000 worth of merchandise from a Nike store in East Los Angeles, authorities said Friday.
A shopper recorded two suspects stealing from a Nike store in broad daylight on Sunday at the store on Whittier Boulevard.
Two adults and four juveniles were later apprehended, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told ABC7.
In a social media post, the department said the suspects were taken into custody by sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers on Wednesday afternoon. Photos published on Instagram show the red SUV that was pulled over on the 710 Freeway.
The identities of the adults were not immediately released, and the names of the other suspects were withheld because they are minors.
The footage shows two suspects running in with trash bags and taking off with about $1,000 worth of shoes and other items. No injuries were reported.
The Sheriff's Department said this particular store has been targeted weekly.
Alhambra resident Candice Lopez, who was shopping at the store on Tuesday, said she witnessed a similar incident recently, where she saw thieves run off from the business with bags full of stolen merchandise.
"They booked it and went down the alley, and I'm like wow, that's crazy," she said. "It sucks because you know, us, we work hard for our money to pay for stuff that we need for our kids. I'm a single mother, so it's hard. And then to see people do stuff like that, it pisses me off."
The incident occurred after about 30 people stole more than $300,000 in merchandise from the Nordstrom store inside Westfield Topanga mall. Dressed in disguises and moving quickly, they all escaped.
Mob-style smash-and-grab robbery at Nordstrom store inside Topanga mall leaves shoppers on edge
The LAPD said the department is in contact with other law enforcement departments, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, to see if any of these mob-style robberies are connected. Authorities said it was too soon in the investigation to say if they are linked.
"Whether or not they're linked, they are organized, and my sense is that they are linked," said L.A. Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff at a Los Angeles Police Commission meeting Tuesday. Another point discussed at the meeting was a possible reward that was in the works for information leading to arrest in these cases.
Data from the Los Angeles Police Department shows in 2022, only about a quarter of such robberies led to an arrest. Since then, leaders in law enforcement and business communities are saying enough is enough.
