'Flash Mob' Robbers Swipe $20,000 Worth of Sunglasses
Officials suspect the brazen heist is connected to a similar robbery.
April 11, 2014— -- Two law enforcement agencies in Southern California are working together to find out whether separate “flash mob” robberies are connected.
Recently released surveillance video from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station shows a group of eight women believed to be 18 to 25 years old pilfering more than $20,000 worth of merchandise from a sunglasses store.
A witness told police the group entered the store March 29 and immediately gathered around display cases. They then quickly began stuffing numerous pairs of sunglasses into their bags before running out of the store, according to a sheriff’s department news release.
With numerous leads but no arrests, the sheriff’s department is now working with detectives from the nearby Camarillo Police Department to determine whether a similar crime there is connected after the arrest of six suspects in that case.
“Our investigation here in Santa Clarita is still ongoing,” Deputy Joshua Dublin of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station told ABC News. “We are working to figure out if there is a correlation.”
The “flash mob” robbery in Camarillo took place Wednesday at the Tory Burch women’s clothing store at the Camarillo Premium Outlets. Six to eight females quickly went through the store loading merchandise into the bags they brought in with them, police said.
One of the store clerks recognized the suspects from a previous burglary that occurred within the past couple months. The suspects were in the store for about 30 seconds.
A store employee saw the suspects get into a gold Chrysler minivan and surveillance cameras helped police provide surrounding law enforcement agencies with descriptions of the suspects and vehicle.
After conducting a “high risk” traffic stop, six suspects were detained the same day, police said. The suspects, ranging in age from 21 to 39, were arrested for burglary, conspiracy, possession of stolen property and possession of burglary tools.
Their bail was set at $20,000 each, police said.
