A “coordinated group” of at least 11 suspected thieves flocked into a Louis Vuitton store in Palo Alto, California on Monday, and proceeded to steal a vast amount worth of handbags from the Stanford Shopping Center, police said.
Authorities reported that a group of burglars took off with some 36 handbags worth more than $100,000 in total, at around 5:30 in the afternoon June 7, at a mall in 180 El Camino Real, approximately 30 miles south of downtown San Francisco, Fox News reported.
The large gang reportedly suddenly stormed into the store en masse, to the surprise of sales personnel who were left flabergasted as the thieves started swiftly grabbing designer bags from shelves. CCTV footage shows the group immediately fleeing the scene after the shakedown.
"[The suspects] exited the store quickly, ran through the mall, and fled in five vehicles prior to police arrival," the Palo Alto Police confirmed.
No one at the store was injuried during the grand theft and none of the the looters seemed to be carrying weapons, according to The Mercury News.
Witnesses and mall bystanders said the gang looked to be composed of suspects in their late teens or early 20s, comprised of both masked male and female individuals. Law enforcement said that the five vehicles used by the robbers were a gray Lexus sedan, a gray Infiniti SUV, a white Audi sedan, a black Hyundai sedan, and a red Honda coupe.
This marks the second time that a smiliar such incident has occured at the Stanford Shopping Center in less than a month.
On May 19, a coordinated group of at least 10 suspects swarmed a Neiman Marcus store at the same mall and escaped with 43 handbags worth more than $150,000 in total, authorities of the City of Palo Alto reported.
Similarly, no injuries were reproted in this case of grand larceny.
The group was reportedly comprised of both male and female individuals of African-American descent. The suspects were seen wearing hooded clothing and dark face coverings.
After flooding the and stealing from the Neiman Marcus store, the robbers escaped on a white Ford Mustang, a dark blue Infiniti four-door sedan, and a white Infiniti four-door sedan.
In another similar incident, Saks Fifth Avenue in Union Square was also reportedly burglarized on May 18, CBS San Francisco wrote.
Security said they witnessed about six teen suspects snatch pieces of merchandise worth $90,000 from the store before departing . The thieves ran were picked up by two separate vehicles that were parked on Powell Street.
Authorities have yet to ascertain if the three cases of grand theft near the San Francisco area are related or have been perpetrated by the same group of suspects.
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