Video has emerged showing the aftermath of a mob ransacking a Los Angeles Nordstrom store which police say included the theft of merchandise estimated to be worth between $60,000 and $100,000.
The Los Angeles Police Department now pledges to “exhaust all efforts to bring those responsible into custody and pursue criminal charges” following the incident at the Topanga Mall on Sunday.
Footage taken after the ransack – which involved a group of 30 to 50 people wearing sweatshirts with hoods over their heads – shows shards of glass and shelves of overturned merchandise inside the mall’s Nordstrom store.
The video shows people inspecting the debris with a blaring alarm in the background.
CALIFORNIA NORDSTROM SACRED IN HUGE SMASH-AND-GRAB ‘FLASH MOB’
“Today at approximately 4:00 p.m., a mob of criminals stole items from Topanga Mall with an estimated loss of $60,000 to $100,000. Topanga Division officers arrived at the scene quickly and took several investigative leads. For criminals, it’s just stolen property,” the Los Angeles Police Department wrote on X.
“For those who live in the area and frequent Topanga Mall, it’s a loss of sense of security,” the LAPD added.
Footage capturing the ongoing rampage showed suspects inside the department store rushing to its main entrance with bags in hand, picking up whatever merchandise they could while stumbling over shelves to which some items were still attached .
FOX 11 in Los Angeles reported that police say the mall was not evacuated and a man who was sprayed with bear repellent was treated by paramedics.
HIGH-END CALIFORNIA STORE PRACTICED BY DOZENS OF MASKED THIEVES WHO ESCAPE IN WAITING ESCAPE CARS
It was the second “flash mob” to take place in Los Angeles County in the past week.
On August 8, a mob of thieves was seen on video as they fled an Yves Saint Laurent store in Glendale, California in broad daylight, fleeing with armfuls of merchandise worth an estimated $300,000. .
Once the group fled the store, they got into waiting vehicles nearby, the station reported.
On Saturday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass released a statement about the Nordstrom flash mob.
“What happened today at Nordstrom at Topanga Mall is absolutely unacceptable,” she said. “Those who committed these and similar acts in nearby areas must be held accountable.”
“The Los Angeles Police Department will not only continue to find those responsible for this incident, but will continue to prevent these attacks on retailers from happening in the future,” Bass added.
Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.