Luxury brands stores in San Francisco and Chicago hit by smash-and-grab attacks
Chicago local police a few weeks ago reported a looting incident in a Louis Vuitton store at the Oakbrook Center Mall. The theft crew stole $100,000 worth of merchandise.
According to the authorities, the group of thieves conducted the action with a very organised strategy. The shoplifting occurred on 17 November afternoon.
The 14 thieves were dropped off at various points around the mall and at 3:30 sharp, when the armed guard went on a short break, they started grabbing merchandise from the display and anything they could see.
A similar occurrence happened on 19 November in a Louis Vuitton store at the Union Square, San Francisco. Eyewitnesses revealed that they saw a dozen people running out of the store with merchandise. A video posted on Twitter shows the thieves trying to escape while being chased by the police.
As reported by ABC News, stores in Union Square which are very much popular among tourists have been targeted for years by well-organised thieves.
The Louis Vuitton stores are not the only ones that were hit. Fendi, Yves Saint Laurent, Burberry, as well as Dolce & Gabbana were all targeted on that day, Fox 2 News reported.
Another looting happened in Nordstrom in Canoga Park, Los Angeles. About five thieves sprayed a security guard and took off with eight pricey handbags worth $25,000.
In Los Angeles, 20 looters raided a Nordstrom at The Grove complex, snatching goods worth about $5,000. A CVS pharmacy nearby was hit by six burglars who grabbed $8,000 from the cash register. An Apple store in Santa Rosa lost $20,000 worth of merchandise to thieves.
According to Dailymail, organised crime syndicates are the ones behind these incidents. They recruit local crooks and pay them $500 to $1,000 to steal specific items to be resold online.
These looting incidents turned the most upscale part of San Francisco that used to be a festive place decked with holiday garlands as Christmas is approaching into a ghost town, the New York Post reported.