A new breed of brazen takeover robbers hitting California luxury retailers, raising ire
The mayhem began Friday night, when thieves smashed a Louis Vuitton storefront window in San Francisco’s Union Square and ransacked the store. Criminals also targeted about a dozen nearby stores for theft and vandalism, police said, including a Burberry and Hermes store, as well as an eyeglass shop and cannabis dispensaries.
On Saturday night, the raid of the Nordstrom in nearby Walnut Creek was even more audacious: Just before closing time, some 80 people jumped out of a pack of cars, flash-mob style, and swarmed the aisles, many escaping with merchandise. Two employees were assaulted, one of them pepper sprayed.
UPDATE: Shaken Holiday Shoppers Changing Plans in Wake Of Retail Smash-and-Grab Crime Spree
LIVERMORE (KPIX) — A violent smash-and-grab robbery spree targeting retail shops across the Bay Area has shoppers, store employees and business owners on edge at the start the holiday shopping season.
Retailers sound alarm on organized theft as states warn of rise
(Bloomberg) — Retailers say shoplifting is getting more brazen in the U.S.: A California Nordstrom store was recently hit by a flash mob of more than 80 people who made off with designer goods, while more than a dozen people pilfered from a Louis Vuitton location in Oak Brook.
On Tuesday, the impact of shoplifting reached Wall Street, with Best Buy Co. shares plunging after the electronics retailer said widespread theft contributed to a decrease in one gauge of profitability. Last month, Walgreens said it would close five San Francisco stores after theft rates there spiked.
Best Buy CEO: Jump in theft is traumatizing staff
Almost 500 people dead: Philadelphia is about to set a grim record for homicides