3 Suspects Arrested in Walnut Creek For Luxury Retail Theft Spree in Bay Area
Walnut Creek: Authorities in Walnut Creek arrested 3 suspects accused of a retail theft spree in the Bay Area.
Attorney General Rob Bonta said on Wednesday that three persons had been taken into custody who may have been involved in over twenty-two burglaries and several attempted burglaries.
The arrested suspects are accused of robbing 25 smoke shops, liquor stores, and upscale retail establishments between September 8, 2023, and November 14, 2023.
The retail theft spree amounted to a loss that exceeded $650,000.
Numerous felonies, including grand theft and second-degree burglary, are being brought against all three suspects. The identities of the suspects have not been revealed by the authorities.
“Organized retail theft harms businesses, retailers, and consumers – and puts the public at risk,” Bonta said. “I want to thank our local law enforcement partners for their work in apprehending the suspects in this case.
One of the purported thefts connected to the suspects is the October 3 break-in at the Walnut Creek Louis Vuitton store. Police said that when a suspect crashed a stolen Land Rover through the storefront glass, ten to fifteen more suspects took roughly $246,000 worth of products.
Other burglaries involving the suspects include one on October 18 at a Dublin Discount Cigarette store, one on November 8 at a Nordstrom in San Diego that resulted in the theft of $120,000 worth of Chanel purses, and one on November 14 at a Vallejo smoke shop.
Prosecutors said that the accused stole ATMs in two cases.
The police were able to stop almost all of the break-ins, but the suspects were able to get away in cars that were waiting. Attorneys for the police said that in two of the events, suspects hit patrol cars, hurting one officer.
Bonta says that the suspects were brought before the judge in Contra Costa County Superior Court on Wednesday.
