Video captured a mob of thieves swarming a Nordstrom in Canoga Park as they cleared out the store during a destructive robbery on Saturday.

Chaos ensued as a large group of masked thieves clad in dark clothing scrambled around the store, grabbing armfuls of designer clothing, purses, accessories and more.

Los Angeles police received reports of the mass robbery at the Westfield Topanga mall around 4 p.m.

Police said anywhere between 20-50 suspects are believed to be involved, although the exact number has not been confirmed.

The thieves were seen violently grabbing whatever merchandise they could carry, with many seen ripping the security devices attached to designer purses and luggage items. Store shelves and display racks were destroyed, knocked over and littered across the floor along with a ton of fallen merchandise.

At one point, a security guard who tried to intervene was attacked with a chemical spray, police said. It’s unclear what that person’s condition is.

The suspects all fled in multiple getaway cars before officers could arrive. Guests were evacuated from the department store as officers cordoned off the scene during a busy Saturday.

The estimated dollar amount of stolen merchandise is not yet known.

Citizen video later showed store employees sweeping up broken glass from the floor and clearing the mess and debris strewn everywhere. Details on how the smash-and-grab robbery was coordinated remain under investigation.

  • Hazdaz@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    These same clowns are going to cry and complain when these local stores shut down and leave the area without any jobs and no ability to do local shopping. This is how “food deserts” happen and how downtown areas become a ghost town.

    • andrewta@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Not sure why you are getting downvoted.

      What’s worse is when there are no stores in that area, the organized crime will expand to other areas.

      • Hazdaz@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Because there are some kooks on Lemmy that have this attitude that “well the company is just going to use insurance to pay for those items, so it’s barely even considered theft if you take from a big company”.

        Mix that in with anti-work and anti-corporation sentiment and they could probably justify this shit.

        • Hiuhokiguess@reddthat.com
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          1 year ago

          I’ve always been pretty anti-coporation but I don’t steal or makes excuses for thieves, I just don’t spend my money there.

          • Hazdaz@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            And I’d totally agree with you as much as is realistic. Sure, trying to get some 20% off coupon or some clearance deal and sticking it to the man that way is one thing… literal theft is scummy.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      What makes you think these thieves are local?

      If I was going to steal from somewhere, I wouldn’t do it where someone might recognize me.

    • ScornForSega@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I don’t think stealing from Nordstrom at the mall is displacing local grocery stores, but you go ahead.

      • Hazdaz@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Oh so you think these clowns draw the line at LV purses and ugly shoes?? Yeah ok. Same pieces of trash that do this, will also be willing to hit up some grocery store and steal all the baby formula or other high value items.

        And when regular folks see this shit happening, it makes them want to visit all those areas less which creates a downward spiral for businesses and ultimately jobs as companies say “fuck this” and close up shop.

        • ScornForSega@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          And that still doesn’t create food deserts. You don’t understand what a food desert is.

          Food deserts are created when Walmart sets up shop and undercuts a dozen smaller groceries sending them out of business, meaning that anyone who wants groceries now needs a car to get across the giant government mandated parking lot.

          Theft has nothing to do with it and your attempts to link the two are pathetic.

          • Hazdaz@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            If you think that it’s only Walmart that puts shops out of business, you’re utterly clueless.