Suspects arrested in Nike store heist in East L.A. — part of a rash of brazen robberies

A group of suspects was arrested this week in connection with the robbery of a Nike store in East Los Angeles — the latest in a string of brazen “flash mob” crimes over the past few weeks.

Thieves were captured on video around 5:30 p.m. Aug. 13 making off with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from the Nike store at 4585 Whittier Boulevard, according to KTLA. They fled the scene in a red SUV onto the 710 Freeway.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stopped an SUV Wednesday and pulled the vehicle over, finding large bags containing Nike sneakers. Six people were arrested; their identities were not released. The case remains under investigation.

The Nike heist was part of a spate of daylight burglaries that have occurred across Southern California over the past few weeks.

On Thursday morning, authorities arrested Los Angeles resident Ivan Issac Ramirez, 23, the first suspect in the Yves Saint Laurent “flash mob” burglary at a Glendale shopping center, according to a Glendale Police Department news release.

Ramirez was booked on organized retail theft, burglary, grand theft and conspiracy, authorities said.

On Aug. 8, at least 30 people stole about $400,000 worth of merchandise from the Yves Saint Laurent store at the Americana at Brand in Glendale. The thieves were caught on camera fleeing the store in broad daylight before escaping in about 20 vehicles.

Police have issued an arrest warrant for another suspect, 21-year-old Los Angeles resident Brianna Jimenez.

Custody personnel at the Glendale City Jail determined there were “medical” and “psych issues” with Ramirez; they contacted the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to transfer Ramirez to their medical ward, according to Glendale Police Sgt. Victor Jackson. But the sheriff’s department declined the transfer due to their emergency bail schedule and because the alleged crimes failed to meet their felony threshold.

Ramirez was cited for the four felonies and hospitalized for his health issues. He’s scheduled to appear Sept. 15 in Glendale Superior Court.

“I assure all members of the Glendale community and the broader Los Angeles region that these brazen smash-and-grab robberies and burglaries will not be tolerated,” said Glendale Police Chief Manuel Cid. “This marks the first arrest related to this crime and there are more arrests to come.”

Rick Caruso, the owner of the Americana at Brand, has offered a reward of $50,000 for information that helps in identifying, arresting and convicting the suspects in the crime.

The Los Angeles Police Department has announced the formation of the Organized Retail Crime Task Force to address the recent rash in “flash mob” burglaries, which usually involve a group of people running into a store at the same time and grabbing as much merchandise as possible before fleeing.

Three people were arrested Thursday in Huntington Beach on suspicion of shoplifting from a convenience store.

Huntington Beach authorities saw the suspects fleeing the store in a vehicle and pulled them over on the 405 Freeway. In the car, law enforcement officers found more than $1,200 worth of cosmetics.