STARING AT AN UPHILL REELECTION FIGHT next year and in the wake of two high profile mob-style luxury store robberies, Los Angeles County’s increasingly unpopular District Attorney George Gascón has made an about face, saying he’s finally ready to crack down on criminals.
Gascôn on Monday insisted that the perpetrators of last Saturday’s smash-and-grab robbery at Westfield Topanga Mall in Canoga Park will be held accountable, even as a manhunt was continuing for more than two dozen culprits.
That melee involving as many as 30 people inside the Nordstrom store at the mall led to the theft of merchandise valued by police at about $300,000. It followed a similar heist carried out last week by a mob of thieves at an Yves Saint Laurent store at the Americana at Brand mall in Glendale, with the loss also estimated at $300,000
Some critics, including Americana at Brand owner and former L.A. mayoral candidate Rick Caruso, have questioned whether law enforcement and the justice system were doing enough to hold offenders accountable. He said a recent change in state law approved by voters, making certain levels of property theft a misdemeanors instead of felonies, has removed the fear of punishment and emboldened criminals.
The billionaire Caruso’s political crosshairs apparently were aimed directly at Gascón who masterminded Prop 47, which converted a host of crimes from felony to misdemeanor in California.
As a district attorney, Gascón also announced that he would not seek cash bail for numerous offenses and would release those currently awaiting such bail.
Additionally, Gascón said he would never seek the death penalty — despite it being the law in California — and would end charging juveniles as adults. He also announced he would reevaluate all sentences of prisoners having served over 20 years.
Those words and positions may come back to haunt him politically.
“The time has come to demand that our elected officials change the laws to hold criminals accountable and start enforcing the laws in a fair and equitable manner,” Caruso said in a statement last week following the robbery at Americana at Brand. “Retail businesses and small and large shopping areas are experiencing an alarming increase in ‘smash and grab’ robberies. I have heard directly from small business owners who feel defeated by the lack of accountability for criminals.”
Caruso is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects who committed the crime.
“At Caruso, we stand firm in our commitment to the security of our guests, tenants, residents and employees,” according to a statement from a Caruso representative. “Our company’s top priority is to maintain a safe and family friendly environment across all of our properties, and we will not tolerate any criminal activity.”
Speaking to reporters Monday, Gascón insisted that his office is being aggressive about prosecutions in such mob-style robberies, treating them as organized crime felonies, not simple misdemeanors.
“We’ve got a team of people that have been working in the Glendale case and other cases, and will continue to do so,” he said. “We assigned our organized crime division to work on these cases about a year and a half ago. We view them as organized crime, and we will use every tool available under the law when there is an arrest made to make sure these individuals are held accountable. This is unacceptable behavior in a civilized society.”
Will it be enough to appease Gascón’s legion of critics who last year bungled an attempt to remove the liberal district attorney when they were unable to collect enough signatures to place the recall of Gascón on the ballot in November.
This despite him being perhaps the most unpopular, most divisive political figure in Southern California. A poll last year showed Gascón would lose a recall vote in a landslide.
Now he faces an uncertain future in the 2024 election.
Caruso, who ran for mayor as a tough-on-crime candidate who wanted to expand the police department, was a supporter of the Gascón recall.
“Families say their local streets do not feel safe, and their residential neighborhoods and quality of life have been impacted,” he said in his statement last week. “We must elevate their voices, bringing Angelenos together to find a new approach so merchants and shoppers alike are fully protected, criminals are held accountable, and our economy thrives.
“Common sense and clear thinking must prevail for us to have a safe, productive and livable community.“
A police manhunt continues as well for a “flash mob” of at least 30 suspects who robbed an Yves Saint Laurent store at the Americana shopping mall in Glendale — and a reward has been placed on those suspects’ heads.
Meanwhile, security has been intensified and increased at both the Americana and its sister shopping area The Grove in the area east of Beverly Hills.
When The Grove opened last Thursday morning, an almost doubling of the armed security force was observed arriving and meeting.
The crime at the Americana occurred about 4:50 p.m. last Tuesday, when “at least 30 suspects flooded the store,” Glendale Police Department Sgt. Victor Jackson said in a statement Wednesday.
“The suspects stole clothing and other merchandise before fleeing on foot and leaving the location in numerous vehicles,” Jackson said. “While still under investigation, the estimated loss is approximately $300,000.
“These ‘flash mob’ burglaries involve a large, coordinated group of individuals simultaneously rushing into the store, overwhelming staff, and taking it over,” Jackson added. “The suspects grab as much merchandise as possible before fleeing in multiple vehicles.”
The crime was captured on video that was widely circulated.
“(Tuesday), a brazen group of individuals orchestrated a coordinated attack on the Yves Saint Laurent store at the Americana at Brand. This calculated criminal act not only resulted in the theft of valuable merchandise but also posed a threat to the safety and well-being of our community.”
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call police at 818-548-4911. Callers wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers a 800-222-TIPS, or use the website www.lacrimestoppers.org.
California, like many states, has seen brazen smash-and-grab robberies in recent years, a trend that saw an increase during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last week, a group of masked thieves ransacked a jewelry store in Irvine, California, and made off with nearly $900,000 in merchandise.
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A flash mob group of burglars makes off with stolen clothing and other merchandise valued at $300,000 from the Yves Saint Laurent store at the Americana in Glendale before fleeing the location in numerous vehicles.
Photo from Facebook
