Tag Archives: smashandgrab

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Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signs retail theft crackdown bill into law to crack down on smash-and-grab burglaries

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CHICAGO (WLS) — After multiple smash-and-grabs at malls in the suburbs and at many high-end shops along Michigan Avenue, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law Friday imposing harsher punishments on those who commit retail crimes.

“This is about the safety of our communities,” Pritzker said. “It’s about preventing militarized storefronts and empty commercial.”

The governor put pen to paper to sign the Inform Act into law, which enforces the new crime of organized retail theft.

It’s the latest step in Illinois’ effort to fight a crime that has been plaguing big and small businesses around the state.

SEE ALSO: Bike shop burglaries: Naperville store boards up windows in response to recent crimes

Surveillance videos captured several incidents showing mobs of people rushing into stores to steal goods from luxury goods to convenience stores, even while employees or customers are inside. Macy’s, Nordstrom, Burberry, and LensCrafters along the Mag Mile have all been hit.

Last December alone, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s organized crime task force retrieved one million dollars’ worth of stolen items from storage units.

Also in December, a group of 14 people ransacked the Louis Vuitton in Oak Brook, making off with $120,000 in merchandise.

WATCH | 14 involved in Oak Brook Louis Vuitton grab-and-run

The new law cracks down on the ring leaders organizing these crimes who are profiting and using it to fund other illegal activities.

“This is not aimed at a low-income parent desperate to feed their child,” Governor Pritzker said. “It’s not about a kid making a short-sighted mistake. This is about a multi-billion dollar industry of organized criminals carrying out sophisticated theft operations to turn a profit on the resale market.”

As part of the new law, those who knowingly engage with others in a theft valued at $300 or more would be guilty of a Class Three felony. Those who engage in a retail theft from one or more establishments would be guilty of a Class Two felony, which would carry more jail time.

Burberry Michigan Ave. store burglarized for 2nd time in a week, Chicago police say

The law allows prosecutors to bring perpetrators to justice even if the conspiracy, theft and/or selling crosses county boundaries. They are now able to prosecute the whole crime.

The Illinois Retail Merchants Association partnered with several lawmakers to make the law a reality.

Copyright © 2022 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Smash-and-grab robbers armed with hammers target Brea Mall jewelry store, police say

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BREA, Calif. (CNS) — Police on Friday were searching for two men who stole items from a Brea-area jewelry store in a smash-and-grab robbery.

The suspects entered the Kay Jewelers store at the Brea Mall, located at 1010 Brea Mall Road, just before 7 p.m. and used hammers to break glass display cases and steal the items inside, according to the Brea Police Department.

The suspects fled the scene following the robbery.

Some callers reported hearing gunshots, but investigators determined that it was the sound of the hammers striking the glass.

The public was advised to avoid the Brea Mall area as police investigate the robbery.

No further details were immediately available.

Caught on video: Thieves shatter jewelry store glass displays at mall in Central California

Copyright © 2022 by City News Service, Inc. All Rights Reserved.



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14 suspects arrested in LA smash-and-grab robberies

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LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Los Angeles police have arrested 14 suspects in connection with a series of smash-and-grab robberies at local stores last month.

Police say there were at least 11 such robberies around Los Angeles in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, resulting in the theft of some $338,000 in retail goods.

Many of them involved flash mobs who swoop in quickly to a retail store, like Nordstrom at the Grove, smash glass cases and grab as many items as they can before fleeing.

The 14 arrests were linked to five such incidents. Three arrests resulted after a long, high-speed chase in which officers caught the suspects with car full of stolen merchandise.

Police acknowledged that after the arrests, all 14 suspects are now free again, under no-and-low bail policies that have been enacted in Los Angeles County recently. At least one suspect was a juvenile.

Community leaders call for end to smash-and-grab robberies

Most of the merchandise was being resold after the thefts and police are also trying to follow that investigative trail.

In addition to a rash of smash-and-grab robberies, police are also seeing an increase in violent follow-home robberies, in which victims wearing expensive jewelry or making big purchases are followed home and sometimes violently assaulted and robbed.

Police urge the public to take precautions, including remaining aware of your surroundings and not always staring at the phone.

Police are also stepping up patrols in retail areas during the holiday shopping season.

“A rash of these smash-and-grab type crimes have placed community members and store employees in significant danger, due to the violence that’s associated with them,” said LAPD Chief Michel Moore.

In other parts of L.A. County, a recent video going viral that is now the subject of a sheriff’s department investigation shows a group of people with hammers targeting a jewelry booth at the Del Amo swap meet in Rancho Dominguez. Two people were detained and several others got away as the Carson sheriff’s station tries to track them down.

Copyright © 2021 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.



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Smash-and-grab thefts at L.A. Nordstrom trigger police chase

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A group of alleged thieves broke into a Nordstrom store at a popular Los Angeles shopping center in an apparent smash-and-grab spree and fled the scene, triggering a police car chase, officials said.

A call came in at 10:40 p.m. PT about suspects breaking into a store at The Grove shopping center, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Mike Lopez said Monday evening. Initially it was unknown if anything was stolen. 

Suspects smashed a store window using a sledgehammer and merchandise was found littered outside, KNBC reported.

Los Angeles police said an unknown number of suspects fled in an SUV and a pursuit was initiated by Wilshire officers in the area.

The chase ended at 98th Street and Hoover Street in South Los Angeles. The driver of the car stopped in a residential area and took off running, according to KNBC.

Three suspects were taken into custody, police said Tuesday morning.

Initially it appeared that no other stores were damaged or affected in the incident. No injuries were reported in the incident, KNBC reported. 

It’s unclear how many suspects were involved and how much merchandise was stolen.

Noting recent headlines, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was ordering the California Highway Patrol to increase its presence at major shopping destinations. He also proposed increased spending on measures to combat shoplifting.

“The level of organized retail theft we are seeing is simply unacceptable,” Newsom said in a statement Monday night. “Businesses and customers should feel safe while doing their holiday shopping.” 

On Saturday night about 80 suspects descended on a Nordstrom in Walnut Creek, California, local police said.

An employee was pepper sprayed, and two others were punched and kicked, a police spokesperson said. Suspects were in and out of the store within a minute, police said. Officials didn’t specify the estimated value of the items that were stolen. Walnut Creek police said three people were arrested in connection with Saturday night’s incident.

Similarly, 14 suspects were caught on surveillance footage storming into a Louis Vuitton store at the Oakbrook Center mall in Oak Brook, Illinois, on Wednesday and escaped in three getaway vehicles, Oak Brook police said. 

Marlene Lenthang is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

Dennis Romero contributed.



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20 looters hit LA Nordstrom store in smash-and-grab break-in

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Three suspects were arrested after looters stormed a Nordstrom store in Los Angeles on Monday night, stealing an unknown amount of merchandise.

Twenty looters struck the Nordstrom store at The Grove, a high-end shopping mall, shortly before 11 p.m., according to CBS Los Angeles.

Authorities said the individuals smashed the windows with a sledgehammer before entering. The suspects fled in four vehicles, with police engaging in a pursuit with one of the cars and later arresting three of the people after they attempted to flee on foot.

Just an hour before the Nordstrom looting, a CVS located about 10 miles away was also hit by burglars, who reportedly stole $8,500 in cash. Police are investigating to see if there’s a connection between the two incidents, CBS Los Angeles reported.

California has seen a wave of looting and department store break-ins. On Saturday, more than 80 people arrived in 25 vehicles and broke into a Nordstrom near San Francisco, stealing up to $200,000 in merchandise, police told local news outlet KTVU.

On Sunday, looters also broke into a Louis Vuitton and a Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills.

California Gov. Gavin NewsomGavin NewsomUnraveling the supply chain mess Was education really the winning wedge issue for the GOP? School board elections tell a different story Five faces from the media who became political candidates MORE (D) said the California Highway Patrol would step up its presence around such stores amid the rise in break-ins.

“You will see substantially more, starting today, in and around areas that are highly trafficked coming into the holiday season, Black Friday, shopping malls, so the state is supplementing those efforts and we are going to be more aggressive still,” he told reporters at an event on Monday. 



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