Four men have been formally charged for partaking in two organized shoplifting sprees at Los Angeles area Ross Dress for Less stores in late August.
The two thefts took place on Aug. 25 at a store in Los Angeles and Aug. 28 at a store in Culver City.
The Los Angeles incident happened at a store on the 8900 block of Venice Boulevard, in which two men, identified by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office as 22-year-old Valentino Skinner and 31-year-old Marquis Marshall, allegedly entered the store and immediately began taking merchandise from the store in front of employees.
The Culver City theft took place at the Ross store located at 108181 Jefferson Blvd. Again Skinner and Marshall entered the store and began taking merchandise, alongside a third man, 32-year-old Isaiah Tobias.
As the three ransacked the store, a fourth person, 42-year-old Avery Tywann, allegedly waited outside in a getaway vehicle. After the crime, the four men allegedly traveled to an area of the city that is known to law enforcement as a place where stolen items are regularly resold.
The four suspects were eventually arrested by members of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Organized Retail Crime Taskforce.
They each face one count of conspiracy to commit a crime and two counts of second-degree robbery. Skinner and Marshall face additional charges for grand theft.
All four men have pleaded not guilty and are due back in court on Sept. 13, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
“The Organized Retail Crime Taskforce and my office’s Organized Crime Division is continuing to aggressively bring those responsible for committing these brazen crimes to justice,” said District Attorney George Gascón, adding that thefts like these cause an “enormous burden” on local businesses and the community.
Anyone with information about this particular crime spree or other similar crimes is encouraged to contact the LAPD Retail Crime Task Force at 818-374-9420.