A bunch of young people stole around $12,000 worth of stuff from a Nike store in Los Angeles. It happened in the evening, and 17 people, four girls and 13 guys aged 15 to 20, rushed into the store around 6 p.m. They grabbed things quickly and left in five different cars.
The police got a call about the theft at the Nike Community Store on South Alameda Street. Initially, they thought 10 to 15 young people were involved, but later they confirmed it was 17. The thieves were caught on video rushing through the store, grabbing items, and putting them in blue bags.
The LAPD described one suspect wearing a hoodie with a bonsai tree logo and the words ‘Ritual of the Spirit.’ The getaway cars were a tan Infiniti, a gray KIA SUV, a white Honda, a four-door KIA, and a black Audi. Luckily, nobody got hurt, and there was no violence.
Employees and customers didn’t try to stop the thieves, and the LAPD thinks that was the right thing to do. The police posted the video on YouTube so the public can help catch the suspects.
This is part of a bigger problem. Recently, the police arrested 137 people and recovered stolen cars and over $60,000 in merchandise in a sting operation against organized retail crime. Organized retail crime, where groups steal things to sell later, costs companies money. The National Retail Federation says it’s about 7 cents for every $100 in sales. This kind of crime can happen to any business.
