A “mob of criminals” stole $100,000 worth of merchandise from the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.
“At around 4pm today, a gang of criminals stole items from the Topanga Mall with an estimated loss of $60,000 to $100,000,” said the The Los Angeles Police Department said on social media. “Officers from the Topanga division were quickly on the scene and have several investigation leads. For criminals, it’s just possession.”
Several individuals dressed in head-to-toe black looted a mall store, carrying duffel bags, purses and other items along the broken glass on the floor, in a video posted by the police.
The crime has left the community with “a loss of sense of security,” police said.
“The LAPD will make every effort to apprehend those responsible and bring criminal charges,” the department said.
CNN has contacted police and the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center for comment.
In a statement, Mayor Karen Bass called the incident “absolutely unacceptable.”
“Those who committed these acts and behaved in adjacent areas must be held accountable,” Bass said. “The Los Angeles Police Department will continue to work not only to find those responsible for this incident, but also to prevent these attacks on retailers in the future.”
A similar scene unfolded Tuesday in nearby Glendale, where police said thieves stole $300,000 worth of property in a “bold flash mob break-in” at an Yves Saint Laurent store.
“In these ‘flash mob’ break-ins, a large, coordinated group of individuals simultaneously enter the store, overwhelm the staff and take over the place. The suspects grab as much merchandise as possible before fleeing in multiple vehicles,” Glendale Police Department said in a statement.
CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas, Josh Campbell and Andy Rose contributed to this report.
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