A second video has surfaced of a gang of looters armed with bear spray making their method by way of a Nordstrom retailer, taking $100,000 price of luxurious items.
The gang of as much as 50 adorned themselves in black hoodies and coated their faces as they reached for costly baggage throughout a raid on the Westfield Topanga Mall division retailer on Saturday.
Videos are circulating on social media with a unique approach displaying the thieves stealing luxurious items, together with a Burberry purse, earlier than fleeing the scene.
In the video, an worker seems to be gesturing to different individuals to remain behind as the massive group swarmed the shop.
The new video additionally exhibits a thief in a black balaclava slipping and falling as he exits the shop.
One of the thieves right here is loaded with quite a few baggage and even a small suitcase
Others grabbed objects of clothes and shortly escaped earlier than police arrived on the scene
The new footage was shared on Twitter by person Noel Escobar who captioned his video, “I was shopping at Topanga Mall when this happened!! They started stealing all of Nordstroms’ Designers.’
In his video, loud bangs and shattering glass can be heard as he pans his camera around the store.
Several individuals are seen tugging at goods with security tags and looting clothes rails, while what appears to be a member of staff seemingly urging other customers to stay away.
You can hear Escobar say, “Damn, this is all crazy. This is crazy.’
Thieves are seen making their way to the exit, with one of them carrying a briefcase and other luxury luggage.
The group swarmed into the shop around 4pm on Saturday, taking armfuls of items, some accidentally dropping goods amid the chaos, as they maneuvered around broken glass and overturned mannequins.
The gang had also used bear spray to attack two security guards in the store, allowing them to cause mayhem.
An ambulance attended the scene, but it remains unclear whether anyone was taken to hospital following the incident.
Witnesses saw the looters flee, several in vehicles, including Lexus and BMW cars.
Investigators believe the group stole approximately $60,000 and $100,000 worth of merchandise
Witnesses saw the looters break free, several in vehicles, including Lexus and BMW cars
One of the thieves in this photo is holding a Burberry bag and seemingly looking for more goods to steal
A customer in the store told me NBC Los Angeles that she had seen them targeting Yves Saint Laurent products.
The customer, known only as Janie, told the outlet, “I’ve never seen anything like it. It is a shame.
“I saw three cars pull over and I saw these guys just run away with all these purses. They just took all the YSL.’
The same Nordstrom had previously been looted in November 2021 when robbers again used bear spray on a security guard and stole designer goods.
Following the incident, LA Mayor Karen Bass said, “What happened today at the Nordstrom in the Topanga Mall is absolutely unacceptable.
The same Nordstrom store in Westfield Topanga was looted in November 2021 when robbers attacked a security guard with bear spray and stole designer wallets
Another angle of the incident shows the large group looting and destroying the store
The group sprinted to the door in an effort to quickly exit the store and secure as much merchandise as possible
“Those who committed these acts and acted in such a way in neighboring areas must be held accountable.
“The Los Angeles Police Department will continue to work not only to find those responsible for this incident, but also to prevent these attacks on retailers in the future.”
In an announcement, the LAPD stated: “Officers from the Topanga Division were on the scene quickly and have several investigative leads.
“For criminals, it’s just property theft. For those who live in the area and patronize the Topanga Mall, it is a loss of sense of security.
“The LAPD will make every effort to apprehend those responsible and bring criminal charges.”
Last week, shocked bystanders witnessed the surprising second when a gang of not less than 30 brazen thieves raided an Yves Saint Laurent retailer in a California luxurious mall.
Videos posted on-line confirmed a number of individuals in darkish clothes, hoods and masks coming into the Americana at Brand retailer shortly earlier than 5 p.m. Tuesday after which shortly working out.
Glendale police stated the thieves received away with about $300,000 in merchandise after overwhelming workers and taking all the things they might in lower than a minute.
None of the thieves used weapons within the brutal scheme, and no accidents have been reported.
An investigation is underway as California continues to face a spate of robberies after lawmakers lowered the penalty for theft of property to lower than $950.
Robberies have turn out to be nearly commonplace in California, the place theft of things price $950 or much less is a felony.
Those convicted of such a criminal offense can withstand six months in jail, however generally the police don’t even trouble to report the crime.
The California Senate additionally handed laws in May prohibiting staff from confronting lively shooters or shoplifters in California.
Proponents say it protects workers from violence, however shops and staff themselves say the measure will solely encourage additional shoplifting.