LA Nike Store Looted by Thieves As California's Crime Issues Grow

A group of thieves were captured on video stealing goods from a Nike store in East Los Angeles on Sunday.

One of the suspects is seen carrying a trash bag filled with shoe boxes, according to a video posted on the Citizen app, KTLA-TV reported.

The Los Angeles Police Department told the station it had received a call about the theft at the Nike Community Store on Whittier Boulevard at around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The incident is the latest in a series of brazen grab-and-dash thefts to occur during daylight hours in Los Angeles in recent weeks. The incidents have sparked criticism of California's lawmakers from conservatives following a rise in violent and property crime in the state in recent years.

Nike store Los Angeles
People wait in line to get into the Nike store at The Grove mall on November 5, 2020, in Los Angeles. A video captured a group of thieves stealing from an LA Nike store, as... Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Police said the suspects, a Black male and two Black females, stole about $1,000 in merchandise from the Nike store. No arrests have been made. The LAPD and Nike have been contacted for comment via email.

It came a day after up to 50 people ransacked the Nordstrom store at the Westfield Topanga Mall.

Police said the suspects in that incident used bear spray on security guards who confronted them. Videos that went viral on social media showed the thieves ransacking the store, ripping the security tags off items before making off with designer purses, clothing and more.

The LAPD estimated losses to be between $60,000 and $100,000.

"Topanga Division officers were on the scene quickly and have several investigative leads," the LAPD said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"To criminals, it is just property taken. To those who live in the area and patronize the Topanga Mall it is a loss of feeling safe. The LAPD will exhaust all efforts to bring those responsible into custody and seek criminal prosecution."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the incident "absolutely unacceptable."

"Those who committed these acts and acts like it in neighboring areas must be held accountable," Bass said in a statement.

"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."

On August 8, a group of between 30 and 40 thieves swarmed the Yves Saint Laurent Store at the America at Brand in Glendale.

The group escaped in about 20 vehicles with about $300,000 worth of merchandise, Glendale Police told ABC 7.

About a week prior, a large group of thieves hit the Gucci store at the Westfield Century City mall. That came just weeks after thieves hit a Gucci store in San Francisco, reportedly stealing about $48,000 in merchandise.

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