Yet another in a string a smash-and-grab robbery at a Los Angeles-area Nordstrom took place tonight. The store at the Westfield Topanga & The Village shopping center in Canoga Park was hit at about 7 p.m.
A group of at least five men, one wearing an orange wig, entered the store and stole seven or eight purses before fleeing the scene and jumping into a newer model gray Ford Mustang that sped away from the scene, according to reports from ABC7 and KCAL9.
BREAKING: LAPD responding to a smash and grab robbery at Nordstrom located in the Topanga Westfield Mall. #air7hd overhead @ABC7
— Chris Cristi (@abc7chriscristi) November 25, 2021
A security guard was pepper sprayed during the heist and was taken to a hospital for treatment, though no further details were immediately available.
The robbery occurred two days after a similar group robbery by a mob of at least 20 people at the Nordstrom store at the Grove. The suspects in that robbery fled the scene in at least four vehicles. Three were arrested in South Los Angeles following a chase. Officers recovered several items of clothing, at least one cash register and gloves from their vehicle.
The incidents follow a similar mass robbery at a San Francisco-area Nordstrom store on Saturday which allegedly involved 80 people. Additionally, on Friday night, San Francisco’s Union Square saw a string of incidents. The businesses hit included a Louis Vuitton store, a Burberry store, a jewelry store, a Bloomingdale’s, a Walgreens, cannabis dispensaries and an eyeglass shop, according to S.F. Police Chief Bill Scott via CNN.
Also very early Sunday morning, the windows of Louis Vuitton and Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills were smashed, according to the Times, which reported that “multiple suspects were seen traveling in several vehicles and that they ‘descended on the locations and used a sledgehammer to try to break through front windows.’” The burglars did not get into the stores, and nothing was taken, according to police.
At about 9:45 p.m. Monday, six suspects entered a CVS Pharmacy in the 5800 block of South Vermont Avenue in South L.A. and stole three cash registers, taking about $8,500 in cash, according to Officer Drake Madison of the Los Angeles Police Department. It was unclear if the same suspects later targeted the Grove.
City News Service contributed to this report.