Trio of thieves targeting Food 4 Less stores across Los Angeles

PANORAMA CITY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A search is underway for a team of thieves caught on surveillance video stealing money from cash registers at local Food 4 Less grocery stores in the Los Angeles area.

Police have released the footage in hopes of catching the three suspects who hit four stores in a single day, including stores in Panorama City, Devonshire, North Hollywood and Norwalk.

"They planned the whole thing and it's very casual," LAPD police Detective Samer Issa said.

Issa says the suspects targeted unmanned cash registers at the stores. To carry out their crime, Issa says, two of the bandits created a distraction while the third focused on emptying the register of all the cash.

"Two suspects pretended to buy some groceries and they paid cash, and while doing so they formed a wall blocking the view of the third suspect who used a key -- could be a master key, we don't know -- or a tool to unlock the register," Issa said.

Issa says when the third man was done emptying the register he would signal to the other two men that the job was done and they would leave without even bagging their groceries.

"There are customers in the general area and nobody really knows what's going on," Issa said.

Detectives say the thieves go in stores, carry out their crime and within minutes they're out.

Police say the store management did not know they were robbed until they noticed their cash drawers were empty at the end of the day. They looked at surveillance video logs and realized the thefts.

The suspects were described as three black men in their thirties. Detectives are hoping someone will recognize the suspects in the video.

Anyone with information on this crime was urged to call LAPD Mission Burglary detectives at (818) 838-9977.