Coordinated smash and grab burglaries leave shoppers, employees on edge, About 80 looters descended on the Nordstrom, The incident is among a cluster of quick-hit robberies that have been plaguing, Dozens of looters target California Nordstrom in violent robbery, Walgreens announced last month that it would close five stores, cellphone video sprinting out of a Neiman Marcus, City officials released a midyear public safety report, Video shows 14 suspects raid Chicago Louis Vuitton store, More than a dozen people in a Chicago suburb. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Homicides in Los Angeles rose 40 percent to 332, and they rose 35 percent to 285 in San Francisco. Top 10 Most Stolen Cars in America 1. "The balance here is to provide a measure of public safety ensuring consumers will not get caught in the middle of a theft in progress by giving law enforcement adequate resources to dismantle organized retail crime operations before they can plot a crime spree," Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer, a Democrat who represents parts of Los Angeles, said. The police said they later arrested Because state law holds that stealing merchandise worth $950 or less is just a misdemeanor, which means that law enforcement probably wont bother to investigate, and if they do, prosecutors will let it go. https://www.newsweek.com/tj-maxx-shoplifting-video-california-1612480 California smash-and-grab gangs strike again, steal $25,000 in high-end goods. "The threshold for a misdemeanor offense is $950 meaning that a person can steal up to that amount and only be charged with a misdemeanor," Buel said. The result: Another Walgreens store in San Francisco, the seventh this year, is closing after its shelves were cleared by looters. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "San Franciscans will have to determine what they can put up with," he added. NBC Bay Area reported that a jewelry store in Southland Mall in Hayward, California, was targeted Sunday afternoon by about nine people who used hammers to smash cases before they fled. City officials released a midyear public safety report, which, according to police data, showed that overall thefts were down by 9 percent in the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year. Yvonne West, director of the State Water Resources Control Boards Office of Enforcement, told CNN that the board has recently received an uptick in complaints of stolen water. In San Francisco, there is no attempt to conceal theft, and there is almost never any effort by store employees, including security personnel, to confront the thieves. The issue has become so severe that some communities have been forced to place locks on fire hydrants or remove them altogether. I havent seen smash-and-grabs in such a mass scale. There have been several thefts inmajor cities across California, including theSan Francisco Bay area. Donning ski masks, the mob ran off with thousands of dollars of merchandise. Track SoCal rain with LIVE Megadoppler 7000 HD. Even in cases where they do manage to catch somebody stealing, its too often not worth the trouble of taking them down to the station because theyll just be released immediately without bail anyway. WebPenal Code 459.5 PC defines the California crime of shoplifting as entering a commercial establishment during regular business hours with the intentto steal Businesses need to invest in displays that are shatterproof. It is a local problem in smaller communities, West said. WebFischer was wounded in the dognapping and five people in total have been charged in connection with the theft. All six men have been arrested and were held in California. Pollys father, Marc, who supports recalling Newsom, remarked, The thing that really alarms me about what the governor did, is that its a continuation of policies to undermine the criminal justice system, and to put dangerous people back out onto the streets., Just a few hours after Marc Klaass remarks, Newsoms office announced a press conference on state action to address crime and reduce retail theft in communities across California.. A governor of a state of nearly forty million, without a realistic vision to grow a better future. As California enters its hottest and driest stretch of the year, which forces municipalities to increasingly restrict water use, the thefts are threatening to make a bad situation even more dire. All Rights Reserved. Why is shoplifting so rampant? "Sadly, as it relates to crime, we've gotten a lot of negative attention," Breed added. . They ultimately blitzkrieg a particular location. 5.3. On the one hand, there are the legitimate businesses that buy their goods and sell them in legal market transactions. Under the CA Theft Law, the misdemeanor shoplifting charge is only applicable for goods valued under $950. Jerretta Sandoz told CBS LA of the incident. We're here for you 24/7. Today, social justice warriors have amplified this effect considerably. And if you are one of those who identify Neiman Marcus with Needless Markup, well, now you know: those markups help cover the cost of theft insurance and stolen merchandise, costs that are passed on to those who choose to acquire merchandise the old-fashioned wayby paying for it. An individual must file the resentencing petition within three years since the law was passed and in the original court where the felony theft charge was convicted. Stores often put the likes of toothpaste and shampoo behind security locks, as if they are high-end goods or the outlets are operating in Caracas, Venezuela. Web733K views 1 year ago The latest video of retail crime at a San Francisco drug store coincides with an appearance of a Republican candidate for governor in the city for a The stolen merchandise was estimated at $120,000, Oak Brook police said in a statement. They say Walgreens policy is to not get involved. WebIn California, burglary means a person enters an inhabited residence such as a home, apartment, boat or warehouse with intent to commit grand or petit larceny or any Californias $950 Theft Law turned shoplifting from a felony offense to a misdemeanor as long as the total stolen does not exceed the value of $950. Nine people face felony charges in connection with the theftslast Fridayat Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Bloomingdales inSan Francisco'sdowntown Union Square, police said. "Think about these employees in these stores who are a witness to these crimes. King's second husband, Kamran Pahlavi who is Iranian royalty - a relative of the late shah of Iran - connected King with LDR International, which is now suing her for fraud and civil theft. A Newport Beach attorney stands accused of living the high life in a Las Vegas casino for six months, spending and gambling away more than $10 million of other people's money. David and Joan Traitel Building & Rental Information, National Security, Technology & Law Working Group, Middle East and the Islamic World Working Group, Military History/Contemporary Conflict Working Group, Technology, Economics, and Governance Working Group, Answering Challenges to Advanced Economies, Understanding the Effects of Technology on Economics and Governance, Support the Mission of the Hoover Institution. The clerks say there is nothing they can do. They cant go in and do smash-and-grab because nothing is smashing for them to grab.. "If it's a felony, our officers can take action," he added. The state decriminalized theft such that stealing less than $950 worth of goods was only a misdemeanor, leading to a small fine, frequently far less than the value of the merchandise that was stolen. Sturdivant says King convinced her to loan her company thousands of dollars, promising a quick return on her investment - one that never materialized. All Rights Reserved. A similar study in the Journal of Criminal Justice published this month found that Proposition 47 and another related reform law were successful in helping to reduce the state prison population and that the increases in crime that the initiatives may have been linked to in the Los Angeles area were "generally small.". "This is really bad. Those diversions threaten native fish and wildlife that depend on the water to survive during hot summer months. The law states that all other occasions of theft that do not fall under the newly established shoplifting will be considered a burglary charge. We've received your submission. And so it is open season for people to take whatever they want. California is continuing down a path where simply being a member of a minority group is an excuse for nearly anything. Walgreens says its San Francisco stores experience a level of theft five times the national average. 12:18 AM EDT, Fri August 13, 2021. But chains say even more drastic measures are required. And as weve seen repeatedly, when you stop enforcing the law, a certain percentage of the population will quickly move in to take advantage of the situation. I feel sorry for the clerks, they are regularly being verbally assaulted, he said. "She stole from normal people like me. Over the past three years, the task forces 668 investigations included 252 arrests and the recovery of more than $16.3 billion in stolen merchandise. "What is not getting the attention is the fact when you do come to San Francisco and commit a crime, you will be arrested by this department. "The evidence seems to be mounting that Prop 47 is not the culprit here or at least not the key culprit," Kubrin said, adding that criminal justice reforms have "become a scapegoat" to blame for the perception of high crime. "Let me tell you she didn't only steal from a billionaire," Sturdivant said. "People shopping there were just kind of standing there watching. Erik Ortiz reported from New York and Jacob Ward from San Francisco. They're affected, too," said Rachel Michelin, the president and CEO of the California Retailers Association, a trade group. Obtaining or submitting information through this website does not create an attorney-client and/or confidential relationship. What is needed is a change to the state law that makes shoplifting at a much lower dollar level a felony, to provide adequate incentives to individuals not to commit these crimes. All six men have been arrested and were held in California. Cell phone video of the incident shows 20 to 40 people smash windows and grab merchandise, according to police. No, theft is not decriminalized under the new law. Legal Statement. Wednesday 1 March 2023 09:43, UK Image: Pic: Evan Here is everything you need to know about the California $950 Theft Law. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, A rational society knows this, and perhaps one day San Francisco will again as well. FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE) The Fresno Police Department is looking for two people for an alleged theft that occurred at a Hobby Lobby Store in Fresno. "They didnt even run out, they walked out," Los Depend on the water to survive during hot summer months the water to survive during hot summer months or them! 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