A Los Angeles, California, Nordstrom store was ransacked by a mob of more than 30 people on Saturday, with the suspects getting away with nearly $100,000 worth of handbags and clothes.
The Los Angeles Police Department said at about 4 p.m. on Saturday, a mob of “criminals” stole items from the store.
Video captured from inside the store show a group of between 30 and 50 people wearing sweatshirt hoodies over their heads.
The suspects were seen inside the department store, running toward the front entrance and carrying bags, scooping up whatever merchandise they could and fighting off and tripping on racks that some items were still attached to.
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Police estimate the stolen merchandise is worth between $60,000 and $100,000.
FOX 11 in Los Angeles reported that police said the mall was not evacuated, though one man who was sprayed with bear repellant was treated by paramedics.
This was the second “flash mob” to take place in Los Angeles County within the past week.
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On Aug. 8, a mob of thieves was seen on video fleeing an Yves Saint Laurent store in Glendale, California in broad daylight, getting away with armloads of merchandise worth an estimated $300,000.
Once the group fled the store, they got into vehicles waiting for them nearby, the station reported.
LA mayor Karen Bass issued a statement about the Nordstrom flash mob on Saturday.
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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on February 17, 2023. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“What happened today at the Nordstrom in the Topanga Mall is absolutely unacceptable,” she said. “Those who committed these acts and acts like it in neighboring areas must be held accountable.
“The Los Angeles Police Department will continue to not only find those responsible for this incident, but to prevent these attacks on retailers from happening in the future,” Bass added.
California, like many states, has seen brazen smash-and-grab robberies in recent years, a trend that saw an increase during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stephen Sorace of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
