Crimes Spread South to Los Angeles as at Least 20 Suspects Attack Nordstrom

Los Angeles police say at least 20 people attempted to break into a Nordstrom store at the Grove shopping center on Monday night. A high-speed chase ensued with police following at least four vehicles.

Police said a storefront window was smashed in with a sledgehammer that was left at the scene.

KNBC reported the chase ended at 98th Street and Hoover Street in South Los Angeles. Three suspects were taken into custody, police said on Tuesday morning.

WBRZ reported that the event follows looting in the San Francisco area and in Illinois in recent days:

About 80 suspects were involved in what police are calling a “smash-and-grab” incident Saturday night at a Nordstrom location in Walnut Creek, near San Francisco. Looters fled the store in at least 10 different vehicles, Lt. Ryan Hibbs at the Walnut Creek Police Department told CNN and three suspects were arrested.

Targeted retailers during Friday’s burglaries included a Louis Vuitton store, a Burberry store, a jewelry store, a Bloomingdale’s, a Walgreens, multiple cannabis dispensaries, and an eyeglass shop, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said at a news conference Saturday.

Yet another smash and grab burglary occurred in Illinois last week. On Wednesday, at least 14 people forced their way into a Louis Vuitton store in Illinois’ Oak Brook, area and stole at least $100,000 in merchandise, according to the Oak Brook Police Department.

“Surveillance video from the store showed the chaotic scene as the masked shoplifters made their way into the store and grabbed as much merchandise as they could while shoppers hurried to get out of their way,” the WBRZ report says.

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