California police said a “mob of criminals” stole up to $100,000 worth of items from a Los Angeles mall Saturday afternoon.
A group of people entered the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center in Los Angeles around 4 p.m., and stole between $60,000 to $100,000 worth of merchandise from a Nordstrom, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement on social media.
“To criminals, it is just property taken,” police said. “To those who live in the area and patronize the Topanga Mall it is a loss of feeling safe.”
Video footage posted by police shows several people wearing black masks and clothing running out of the store with merchandise, including duffel bags, purses and other bags, in their hands.
Police said Topanga Division officers quickly arrived at the scene and had several leads.
“The LAPD will exhaust all efforts to bring those responsible into custody and seek criminal prosecution,” police said.
Los Angeles mayor said criminals ‘must be held accountable’
The people who stole from Nordstrom “must be held accountable,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.
“What happened today at the Nordstrom in the Topanga Mall is absolutely unacceptable,” Bass said. “The Los Angeles Police Department will continue to work to not only find those responsible for this incident but to prevent these attacks on retailers from happening in the future.”
Flash mob burglary in Glendale Tuesday
A similar incident happened earlier in the week in the Los Angeles area. At least 30 people “flooded” the Yves Saint Laurent store at The Americana at Brand in Glendale Tuesday and stole about $300,000 worth of clothing and other merchandise before fleeing on foot and leaving the location in numerous vehicles, Glendale Police said in a news release.
Glendale police said flash mob burglaries “involve a large, coordinated group of individuals simultaneously rushing into the store, overwhelming staff and taking it over.”
“The suspects grab as much merchandise as possible before fleeing in multiple vehicles,” police added.
Watch:Video shows suspects steal $300,000 worth of designer goods in ‘flash mob burglary’
Retailers locking up products to curb shoplifters
Retailers like Target, Walmart, Dollar General and Home Depot have talked about missing inventory more this past quarter than any quarter on record, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Retailers are concerned about a loss of profits because of shrinkage – an industry term that refers to the difference between the inventory a store has on its balance sheet and its actual inventory.
To combat shoplifting, retailers are introducing strategies such as shorter store hours, self-servicing locking cabinets or smart shopping carts.
Shoplifters:Stores are locking up products to curb shoplifters. How that’s affecting paying customers.
Contributing: Saman Shafiq and Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY
