3 arrested after 80 people ransacked a Nordstrom store in California in a mass smash-and-grab loot run, police say

• Police say roughly 80 people carried out a mass looting at a Nordstrom store near San Francisco.
• Videos from the scene appear to show people dashing out of the store and hopping into getaway cars.

The police say a Nordstrom store in the San Francisco Bay Area was overrun by dozens of looters Saturday night who tore through the department store, grabbed merchandise, and fled in waiting cars.

About 80 people were thought to be involved in what law enforcement is calling a smash-and-grab incident in Walnut Creek, a city northeast of Oakland.

The police arrested three people in connection to the incident, per a press release from the Walnut Creek Police Department. The police identified those three suspects as Dana Dawson, 30, and Joshua Underwood, 32, of San Francisco and Rodney Robinson, 18, of Oakland.

"Police are investigating what was clearly a planned event, with the initial calls coming into the department about cars driving recklessly in the area shortly before 9 p.m.," the police press release said. It added that Nordstrom employees called law enforcement when about 80 people entered the store and grabbed merchandise.

"Two employees were assaulted, and one was pepper-sprayed by the suspects," the police said. The authorities added that they stopped one car waiting outside and arrested two people — including Dawson, who they said had a gun.

The police added that most of the looters fled the area in at least 10 vehicles, per CNN.

Brett Barrette, one of the managers of a PF Chang's restaurant across from the Nordstrom store, told the local CBS station KPIX News that the incident prompted him to lock the front and back doors of the restaurant to protect himself and the diners inside.

"I probably saw 50 to 80 people in like ski masks with crowbars, a bunch of weapons," he said. "They were looting the Nordstrom. There was a mob of people. The police were flying in. It was like a scene out of a movie. It was insane."

Videos shared on Facebook appeared to show people carrying bags fleeing and hopping into several cars parked outside the store.

Nordstrom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

The Walnut Creek Police Department said in an announcement Monday that it was "actively monitoring intelligence" indicating the looters might be planning another heist.

"This has not been confirmed, but out of an abundance of caution, we're alerting businesses and residents to be prepared," the police said. "The PD is calling out additional officers and reserves, and some stores may consider closing early or taking other precautions. There is no specific time or target known right now."

"Grab-and-go" crimes have occurred several times in the past week. In one, at least 14 people charged into a Louis Vuitton store in Oak Brook, Illinois, last Wednesday and made off with at least $120,000 in goods, per a report from the local outlet WLS. A Louis Vuitton location at San Francisco's Union Square was sacked Friday in a similar smash-and-grab crime, prompting local authorities to limit car access to the area.