KTLA

Mix-up at Simi Valley bridal store prompts police search for women who were picking up wedding dress

This undated file photo shows wedding dresses in a store. (Getty Images)

A mix-up at a Simi Valley bridal store resulted in a police search for two women who were picking up a wedding dress they bought.

On Thursday morning, police put out a message on Facebook, asking for the public’s help to identify two women who they said stole a wedding dress from a bridal store on April 9.


The Simi Valley Police Department shared a surveillance image of the two women, saying they posed as owners of a dress that was ready for pick up, took it and drove off in a Tesla.

But a few hours after police posted the image, which was shared by multiple news outlets, the owner of the store told KTLA in an email that the incident was a “coincidence of names.”

The Police Department retracted the message Thursday afternoon.

“It is essential for the community to understand that sometimes after suspected crimes are reported, new information is provided that clarifies an event,” police wrote on Facebook. “In this case, the two persons in the photograph have been cleared of any wrongdoing. They did not commit a criminal act, display malice, or civil misconduct.”

No further details were available on how the mix-up happened.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect the fact that the incident, which was first reported as a theft, turned out to be a mix-up.