A large group of juveniles stole around $12,000 worth of products from a Nike store in a flash mob raid that was captured on video Sunday evening, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the call regarding the retail theft came in shortly before 6 p.m. at the Nike Community Store located in the 9800 block of South Alameda Street.
Initial reports indicated that ten to 15 youths had entered the business and taken multiple products, but that number was later increased to 17, LAPD confirmed.
Four of the suspects are female and the other 13 are males, authorities said. They range from 15 to 20 years old.
A video posted to the Citizen App shows the thieves rushing through the store with blue bags, hastily grabbing merchandise off shelves and clothing racks as other shoppers look on.
“One of the suspects was wearing a distinct hooded sweatshirt that had a logo of a bonsai tree and the words ‘Ritual of the Spirit’,” LAPD said in a release.
The suspects’ getaway vehicles were described as a tan four-door Infiniti, a gray KIA SUV, a white Honda, a four-door KIA, and a black Audi. No one was harmed and no violence was threatened, authorities added.
Employees and customers did not engage with the theft suspects, which authorities say was the right thing to do. LAPD has also posted footage of the incident to their new Commercial Crimes Division YouTube page so the public can assist in apprehending the suspects, the department said.
Authorities are actively fighting organized retail crime across the entire state; law enforcement officials recently announced the arrest of 137 suspects and the recovery of three stolen vehicles and more than $60,000 in merchandise as part of a massive sting operation.
At the state level, Gov. Newsom announced in August that the state would be tripling CHP resources in the L.A. area to help combat organized retail theft.
Anyone with information on Sunday night’s Nike Community Store theft is asked to contact Organized Crime Retail Taskforce Detective Juan Campos at 213-486-6958. Anonymous tips can be submitted to L.A. Crime Stoppers by visiting their website or calling 1-800-222-8477.