Los Angeles law enforcement dismantled an organized retail crime ring accused of stealing thousands of dollars of merchandise from a single Nike store.
On June 2-3, the L.A. Sheriff’s Department (LASD) Major Crimes Bureau Metro Detail Burglary-Robbery Taskforce (BRTF) worked with local police departments to conduct a surveillance operation at the Nike Community Store in East L.A., which has lost $750,000 in just the past year.
During the two-day stakeout, detectives handed down nine felony charges when arresting 12 people who were part of an organized retail crime crew. Law enforcement returned $2,669.28 in recovered merchandise to Nike, which did not immediately return a request for comment. The detectives along with deputies from the East L.A. police station also recovered an assault rifle from one suspect’s residence. East L.A.’s Special Problems Team and Summer Enforcement Team assisted in recovering two stolen vehicles tied to the suspects, one of which was stolen during a carjacking.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, BRTF was formed a decade ago to address L.A.-area organized crime rings, which have increasingly targeted residences and businesses. It has cooperated with other stations and bureaus to monitor trends in crime behavior and identify the perpetrators responsible.
The operation at the Nike store highlights the surging epidemic of retail crime. Smash-and-grab robberies have plagued cities coast to coast. A recent study from the National Retail Federation (NRF) found a 26.5 percent rise in violent organized retail crime in 2021 alone.
The California State Senate recently took action to address the problem when it passed SB 553, which would prohibit retailers from requiring store associates to confront suspected shoplifters. This comes after Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi in April revived previous efforts to amend the state’s Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act with harsher penalties for these criminals. AB 1708 would elevate petty theft or shoplifting to a felony or misdemeanor charge for anyone with two or more convictions for theft-related offenses. It would also compel those convicted to participate in programs for mental health or substance abuse treatment, if appropriate. “This bill proposes a balanced approach to fight retail theft, holding repeat offenders more accountable while seeking to address the root causes of the crimes,” Muratsuchi said.
Nike has been a popular target for criminals, with some in Memphis getting away with $100,000 around Black Friday last year, others exploiting the supply chain to the tune of $800,000, and workers trying to get away with an inside job.
This story was reported by Sourcing Journal and originally appeared on SourcingJournal.com.
