Organized Crime Task Force Arrests 11 Connected to Recent Retail Burglaries

Police officers search for a suspect in Los Angeles on May 7, 2018. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

A law enforcement task force targeting the organized retail crime wave in the Los Angeles County region has arrested 11 suspects connected to four recent flash-mob burglaries, police reported Aug. 24.

Detectives with the Organized Retail Crime Task Force, formed last week, investigated nine cases involving retail crimes throughout the city of Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

Many of the thefts were linked to similar retail crimes that occurred in neighboring cities, the LAPD reported in a press release.

On Aug. 23, police arrested 11 robbery suspects directly related to four of nine cases currently under investigation: the Versace store at the Beverly Center robbery April 27, the Warehouse Shoe Store in Highland Park, the Aug. 12 Nordstrom burglary at the Westfield Topanga Mall, and a theft at Macy’s at the Glendale Galleria.

The LAPD is not yet releasing the names of those arrested, a spokeswoman from the department told The Epoch Times.

Nordstrom store at the Westfield Topanga Mall in the Canoga Park neighborhood in Los Angeles on Aug. 14, 2023. Jill McLaughlin/The Epoch Times

Last week, police arrested Ivan Ramirez, 23, on suspicion of being linked to a Glendale Yves Saint Laurent burglary on Aug. 8. He was one of at least 30 suspects who were seen in a viral video ransacking the store inside the Americana at Brand mall.

Mr. Ramirez was released from custody just hours after his arrest under the county’s recently reinstated no-cash bail policy, according to county detention records.

The Glendale Police Department announced the arrest of suspects Aug. 23 who police said were connected to smash-and-grab robberies and a theft at the Glendale Galleria, according to a department statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The suspects were turned over to the crime task force. LAPD officials were not able to confirm whether the suspects are included in the 11 arrested Wednesday.

Glendale police also announced the arrest of a man charged with receiving thousands of dollars of stolen items from the Glendale Galleria.

The multi-agency task force includes personnel from the Los Angeles, Glendale, Beverly Hills, and Burbank police departments; the California Highway Patrol (CHP); and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.

A California Highway Patrol vehicle in Orange, Calif., on May 22, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Statewide Retail Crime Arrests

Previously, the California Highway Patrol joined other law enforcement agencies Aug. 12 and Aug. 13 to arrest more than 50 people connected to organized retail theft in central California.

Officers also recovered more than $60,000 in merchandise in the Central Valley region, the CHP announced Aug. 16.

The arrests included charges of organized retail crime, shoplifting, grand theft, petty theft, criminal conspiracy, resisting arrest, possession of burglary tools, and possession of a stolen vehicle, according to the CHP.

“Through increased collaborative efforts, retailers and law enforcement have become more efficient and effective in our fight against organized retail crime,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said in a press release.

The state’s organized retail crime task force was formed in 2019 by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The governor also recently promised to double down on fighting retail crime in Los Angeles by tripling CHP resources in the Los Angeles region.