Police announced the first arrest in the flash mob-style burglary at the Yves Saint Laurent store in Los Angeles — as they vowed to clamp down on the brazen, daytime smash-and-grabs plaguing the city.
Ivan Isaac Ramirez, 23, of LA, was charged with organized retail theft, burglary, grand theft, and conspiracy after being arrested Thursday in the raid at the Americana at Brand shopping center in Glendale on Aug. 8, police said.
A second suspect, identified as 21-year-old Briana Jimenez, also of LA, remains on the loose and a warrant has been issued for her arrest, cops added in a release.
“The incident was caught on camera by numerous bystanders and sent shockwaves through the community. In this daytime burglary, at least 30 suspects flooded into the YSL store and fled with at least $400,000 in merchandise,” police said.
“Since the original crime, Glendale Police Detectives have been collaborating closely with Americana security and representatives,” the release states.
Meanwhile, LA police vowed to clamp down after roving mobs of up to 50 people have been caught on video raiding swanky stores in the second-largest city in the US and making off with luxury goods in front of shocked shoppers.
“The Los Angeles Police Department will not tolerate these acts,” Deputy Chief Blake Chow said at a news conference Thursday. “We will not stand by idly while these acts continue.”
Mayor Karen Bass and local leaders announced a new multi-agency task force aimed at combating the growing trend of organized retail thefts
The task force includes the LAPD, the LA County Sheriff’s Department, the California Highway Patrol, police in Glendale, Beverly Hills, Burbank and Santa Monica, the FBI, the US Marshals Service and the state Attorney General’s Office, KTLA reported.
“These are not victimless crimes. No Angeleno should feel like it is not safe to go shopping in Los Angeles. No entrepreneur should feel like it’s not safe to open a business in Los Angeles,” Bass told reporters.
Additionally, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the state would be tripling California Highway Patrol resources in the LA area to help in the efforts to eradicate the threat, KTLA reported.
“The state is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to crack down on organized crime and when our local partners need further assistance, we’re ready with a helping hand,” Newsom said in a release.
“The CHP is the proven leader in tackling organized retail theft and through this expanded partnership the agency will further assist the city in doing its job to keep Angelenos and their businesses safe,” the governor added.
CHP’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force, which was established in 2019, has arrested more than 1,250 people and recovered more than $30 million in stolen merchandise since its creation, the governor’s office said, according to KTLA.
“Law enforcement is all about partnership — and the CHP is proud to be a good partner to Los Angeles,” CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee said.
“Working together, and by utilizing the CHP’s wide breadth of expertise and resources, we will crack down on this uptick in dangerous and unacceptable criminal activity,” he added.
In at least four cases over the past two weeks, mobs have raided stores in Glendale, Canoga Park, Hancock Park, and a Gucci outlet this week at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.
“These criminals use weapons or simulated weapons. They use intimidation techniques to take this merchandise,” LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi said at the news conference.
“In each of these acts, they take a little bit away from our peace of mind, from our sense of safety in the community … We will not stand by idly while these acts continue, and neither will our law enforcement partners or the city,” he said.
Rick Caruso, a former mayoral candidate and real estate developer whose company owns and runs the Americana and other Southern California shopping centers, has called for elected officials to do more about the rising number of raids.
His company is offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of those involved in the heist at Yves Saint Laurent.
“We need to be very clear with elected officials: We demand a better, more livable city. We demand [they] sit up, take note, and change the laws and make sure that our district attorney is prosecuting these cases,” Caruso said.
