Local authorities are sounding the alarm on organized retail crime following a string of so-called flash mob thefts across Los Angeles County in recent weeks.
Authorities define flash-mob burglaries as a large, coordinated group of people rushing into a store, overwhelming staff and taking as much merchandise as possible before fleeing in multiple cars.
The most recent series started with a Gucci store at the Westfield Century City mall on Aug. 1. A video posted online shows at least nine people concealed in hoodies dashing out the door with handbags, suitcases and other products in broad daylight.
The Yves Saint Laurent at the Americana at Brand in Glendale was targeted a week later when at least 30 people ransacked the store in the afternoon for an estimated loss of $300,000 worth of goods, police said.
And on Saturday, a Nordstrom store at the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center was sacked by at least 30 people wearing ski masks who stole an estimated $300,000 worth of merchandise. One suspect attacked a security guard with bear spray.
The East L.A. Nike Community Store was targeted Sunday, with roughly $1,000 in shoes stolen by a group of three.
Two more smash-and-grab robberies have occurred in the past week: one at a Gucci store in Costa Mesa and another at Ksubi, a luxury retail store, in Hancock Park.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass announced Thursday that she is creating a Multi-Agency Organized Retail Crimes Task Force, which will include local law enforcement, city attorney’s offices, the U.S. Marshals Apprehension Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Task Force. Additionally the task force will create a retail theft hotline and a platform for people to share digital media taken at the scene of flash mob burglaries.
“These criminals, they don’t distinguish between city borders and county borders,” said LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi.
The task force will also include cyber investigators to help identify people involved in retail thefts — including people who buy and sell the merchandise. The force includes individual surveillance teams and investigators from the L.A. County District Attorney’s office, who will investigate the recent incidents with the hope of identifying the flash robbers.
“These are not victimless crimes, especially in the case where Angelenos are attacked through force or fear,” Bass said. “No Angeleno should feel like it is not safe to go shopping in Los Angeles. No entrepreneur should feel like it’s not safe to open a business in Los Angeles.”
A majority of the recent robberies have occurred in the San Fernando Valley, which is where the task force will be housed.
Bass said that after a series of follow-home robberies in 2021, the City created a task force and the number of robberies decreased.
“That’s exactly what will happen this time,” she said.
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he will triple California Highway Patrol resources in Los Angeles and provide investigators for the regional task force. .
“The CHP is the proven leader in tackling organized retail theft and through this expanded partnership the agency will further assist the city in doing its job to keep Angelenos and their businesses safe,” wrote Newsom in a press release Thursday.
The background
According to the National Retail Foundation’s 2022 Security Survey, retailers lost more than $90 billion nationwide because of retail shrinkage. In an NRF consumer poll this past June, more than half of respondents said they believe more retail crimes have happened in their communities since the coronavirus pandemic began. In Los Angeles, retail theft has increased by 14% since 2022, according to LAPD.
Between Fall 2021 and Aug. 16, the sheriff’s department has seen at least 170 organized retail thefts, said L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna at Thursday’s press conference.
In June, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced an online form where people can submit tips and complaints related to retail theft as part of an agreement with retailers and online marketplaces to address organized retail crime. The state also announced required thresholds for high-volume, third-party sellers on online marketplaces and that marketplaces must flag sellers who do not comply with the requirements.
These measures were an expansion of a legislation package Governor Gavin Newsom signed in 2022 to combat the selling of stolen merchandise online, which also greatly expanded the California Highway Patrol’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force.
Retailers lost more than $90 billion nationwide because of retail thefts, or "shrinkage," according to the National Retail Foundation’s 2022 Security Survey. In Los Angeles, retail theft has increased by 14% since 2022, according to the LAPD.
In June, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced an online form where people can submit tips and complaints related to theft as part of an agreement with retailers to address organized retail crime. The state also announced required thresholds for high-volume, third-party online sellers and that marketplaces must flag sellers who do not comply with the requirements.
