3 women arrested after luggage worth almost $8,000 stolen from Neiman Marcus

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- Police arrested a trio of women Monday that allegedly stole Louis Vuitton luggage worth more than $8,000 from the Neiman Marcus store at Fashion Island.

Newport Beach police said the three women cut the locks to get inside the store on Saturday afternoon. A department representative said the luggage thieves left the area in a black BMW SUV, and that they searched the city for the vehicle that day.

Officials said they later received a call from neighboring Costa Mesa police, who claimed they caught the suspects. Police also said they recovered the stolen luggage.

"When we made the arrest, there were burglary tools in the vehicle, wire cutters that are consistent with that kind of activity," said Jennifer Manzella of the Newport Beach Police Department.

A similar robbery happened at the Bloomingdale's at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa a week before the Neiman Marcus incident. High-end handbags worth nearly $14,000 were stolen. An arrest has not been made in connection with that case.

Shoppers at both malls said they are not surprised thieves would be that brazen to steal luggage and handbags worth hundreds to thousands of dollars.

"I think it's a status symbol for some people," said shopper Lisa Chen. "They could probably sell it in the second market for quite a bit of money."