72 hours of the looter's war on California retail establishments

[Devil Child]

Nov. 23

Report: Police say mob made off with up to $200K in items at Walnut Creek Nordstrom
New details are emerging on a large robbery at the Nordstrom in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Saturday night when police said a mob of dozens of people rushed the store.

Between $100,000 and $200,000 worth of merchandise was stolen from the Broadway Plaza department store, the Walnut Creek Police Department told KTVU.

Lt. Hollie Connors, a spokesperson for the police department, told KTVU that up to 80 mask-wearing people and up to 25 cars with license plates covered blocked the street along Broadway Plaza in the coordinated attack.

The robbers reportedly rushed into the store, freely taking merchandise. A witness told CBS News San Francisco that the thieves were armed with crowbars and wore ski masks.

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Walnut-Creek-Nordstrom-robbery-smash-and-grab-16644094.php

Smash-and-grab robbery at Nordstrom in Los Angeles triggers police chase
A group of looters broke into a Nordstrom store at a popular Los Angeles shopping center in an apparent smash-and-grab robbery 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.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/smash-grab-robbery-nordstrom-los-angeles-triggers-police-chase-rcna6440

Nov. 22

Gunfire Erupts During Surge In Robberies Targeting Oakland Pot Dispensaries
A band of fleeing smash and grab robbers riddled an Oakland police vehicle with bullets early Monday morning in one of a series of weekend break-ins targeting legal marijuana dispensaries.

The crimes came during a wave of smash and grabs targeting retailers in San Francisco, San Jose, Hayward and Walnut Creek.

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/11/22/gunfire-erupts-as-smash-and-grab-robbers-target-oakland-pot-dispensaries/

Smash-and-Grab Thieves Target Hayward Mall; Lululemon Store Robbed in San Jose’s Santana Row
Looters targeting Bay Area businesses struck again Sunday evening, with smash-and-grab thieves hitting the Southland Mall in Hayward and suspects taking merchandise from a Lululemon store in San Jose.

Hayward police told KPIX they responded around 5:30 p.m. Sunday to multiple calls from stores in Southland Mall.
Witnesses said a large mob of people caused a huge disturbance inside the mall, with some briefly taking over a jewelry store.Witnesses described some 40 to 50 looters wielding hammers and other tools looted Sam’s Jewelers, breaking glass cases and quickly fleeing.

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/11/22/smash-grab-thieves-target-hayward-mall-lululemon-store-san-jose-robbed/

Nov. 21

Bay Area hit with spate of large-scale smash-and-grab robberies
Police are looking for dozens of suspects after a series of brazen thefts Friday and Saturday in the Bay Area that targeted high-end retailers in large-scale smash-and-grab robberies.

Walnut Creek police said Sunday that three people were arrested, including one who was in possession of a firearm, after an organized theft involving approximately 80 people at a Nordstrom store in the city’s downtown area shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday. Police said Nordstrom employees began calling 911 when dozens of people entered the store and immediately stole merchandise. Two employees were assaulted and one was pepper-sprayed, according to police.

Police said in a news release that they are reviewing surveillance video to identify additional suspects. Videos posted to social media showed some of the suspects fleeing the scene in cars parked outside the store.

Other Bay Area cities have also been targeted in what police said were coordinated group thefts, including at numerous high-end stores in San Francisco on Friday and at the Iceberg Diamonds jewelry store inside the Sun Valley Mall in Concord on Nov. 15.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-11-21/bay-area-hit-with-spate-of-large-scale-smash-and-grab-robberies

Just a quick compilation of recent looting events in various California within the past 72hrs. Stopped there in the interest of preserving space. This drastic increase of organized looting mobs concerns me deeply. For retail businesses already struggling from COVID now getting ravaged, sometimes violently, by large groups robbing them blind. Looting will force businesses to shutter their doors permanently, further ruining the lives of people relying on their services.

[captain queeg]

1. WTF?

[Devil Child]

2. I'm sure I missed some events within the 72hrs I limited myself to

Plenty preceding this also and I'm sure more to come.

[Hekate]

3. Coordinated on social media is my guess. What a mess.

[Devil Child]

5. Agreed

TikTok? Instgram? Whatsapp? I'm sure many are used. I wonder what steps these platforms can quickly put in to shut this down.

[Thomas Hurt]

4. The christofascists are loving this.

[regnaD kciN]

6. This is the weirdest story around...

I mean, we all know that robberies happen, but…organizing a burglary gang of eighty people seems a near-impossible task to keep secret. And I would think being able to keep it quiet afterwards is similarly unlikely…and it really only takes one peep getting caught to unravel the whole thing.

[Eugene]

10. flash mob robbery/swarming

This one is bigger than most, but one just happened in Chicago 2 weeks ago.

Per Wikipedia:

Flash rob dynamics

Flash robs operate using speed and sheer numbers in order to intimidate any resistance and complete the act before police can respond. While often viewed as a form of theft or looting (the illegal taking of items), these crimes more closely fit the definition of robbery because the large crowd creates an implied threat of violence should employees or bystanders attempt to intervene. Many investigations into these robberies have shown that they are planned ahead of time using social media, and the participants do not all necessarily know each other personally.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_rob

[Chuuku Davis]

7. How would you stop these organized looters?

Seems like it would take armed guards and lots of sturdy glass of some kind.

I really don't know.

[Devil Child]

8. Either do I

Placing competent armed security at all California establishments would be a monumental undertaking. But I see an inevitable "up-armoring" of business following this. At least those that survive.

[Ex Lurker]

13. Controlled entry/exit

Hit a panic button, the bars come down and everybody is locked in. Employees retreat to a safe room.

[Devil Child]

14. I can see some specialty retaliers being forced to switch to a locked

and appointment based entry system. Like some jewelers do.

[diane in sf]

12. Spray them with indelible ink when they go rampaging through the mall. And if there's time

Paintball their cars with hard to remove paint via drones or helicopters. Do the same to sideshow participants, who also put their vile activity together via social media. Reward people for spotting them later.

[VarryOn]

15. First of all, the law allowing a misdemeanor on value of stolen goods up to $950...

Needs to be changed to sometching like $25. Then, put DA's in office who will enforce the law. All that will take time, though.

In the mean time, hire more security...and good luck finding applicants.

If I'm a retail corporation with stores in the area, I consider closing stores until local governments get this under control.

[ripcord]

17. If there is proof of organized shoplifting they can be charged with a felony nt

[I_UndergroundPanther]

9. Time to pay people good wages

And give them healthcare and stop treating them like peons.

Thefts go down when wealth inequality goes down.

[USALiberal]

11. So you are ok with this theft? How about mugging people? Nt

[Devil Child]

16. My post doesn't factor in the large upswing of individual theft from retailers

All of this adds up and CVS/Walgreens are closing large numbers of stores in CA due to theft. Sucks for those utilizing the closed stores for needed meds. I witness it weekly at my local CVS, staff talk about it openly. Hope they make it.

[moonscape]

23. There are lots of articles pushing back on the

assertion/excuse it is due to theft. I read several and while I don’t recall where to give links, here’s just one from a quick Google:

https://qz.com/2077384/why-is-walgreens-really-closing-its-stores-in-san-francisco/

Didn’t read the piece, but recall plans had been in the works and that the bottom line was not as affected by theft as their PR wished to claim. Not saying the crime waves aren’t disturbing, only that the closures are more complex than a surface crime explanation.

[WarGamer]

18. That's pretty silly... these people are stealing $3000 handbags.

A great job and a promising career doesn't pay well enough to buy a $3000 bag.

They're stealing them to sell them for the cold hard cash.

[Devil Child]

20. Nor does it factor in the large groups of looters arriving in numerous functioning vehicles

Armed with weapons, and in newish looking clothing. Not exactly the homeless and hungry raiding a grocer's warehouse for staple foods.

I could never afford a $3000 handbag, the thought of smash 'n grabbin' one never crossed my mind.

[WarGamer]

21. I can't imagine anyone wanting such an expensive thing... it's pure status symbol.

[Initech]

19. WTF is going on here?

[haele]

22. Organized Crime

Instead of hijacking trucks that were targeted before they leave the warehouse, they're hitting high end stores in California for merchandise they'll probably sell in Chicago, Dallas, or Miami at boutique shell stores or online on pop-up holiday selling sites. They're targeting middle class buyers trying to keep up with the better off Joneses.
These particular robberies will probably end in December.

Haele

[Deep State Witch]

24. TikTok?

I wonder if this is one of those stupid TikTok challenges?

[ZonkerHarris]

25. "three people were arrested, including one who was in possession of a firearm,"

Welcome to an armed robbery felony charge moron.