- A mob of over 30 masked robbers stole over $300,000 worth of items at an LA Nordstrom.
- One suspect used bear spray on a security guard before the group made off in getaway cars, police said.
The dozens of masked robbers who swarmed an LA Nordstrom and made off with over $300,000 in stolen goods used bear spray to subdue a security guard, according to police.
A mob of more than 30 thieves descended on a Nordstrom store at the Westfield Topanga Mall in Woodland Hills, California on Saturday afternoon, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement to Insider.
One suspect bear sprayed the store's security guard while others grabbed more than $300,000 worth of luxury handbags and clothing within mere minutes, the LAPD said.
A video of the incident circulating online shows the masked intruders knocking over display cases as they scramble to grab as many goods as they can carry, jumping over broken glass and fleeing out the front doors into parked getaway cars.
"Those who committed these acts and acts like it in neighboring areas must be held accountable," Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. "The Los Angeles Police Department will continue to work to not only find those responsible for this incident but to prevent these attacks on retailers from happening in the future."
The same Nordstrom store was hit two years ago by a group of five masked robbers, who pepper-strayed a store employee and made off with about $25,000 worth of goods, NBC Los Angeles reported.
And on Tuesday last week, another mass heist happened at a Yves Saint Laurent store about 20 miles away in Glendale, with thieves stealing about $300,000 worth of merchandise, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The LAPD said it's investigating several leads into Saturday's robbery, adding that it "will exhaust all efforts to bring those responsible into custody and seek criminal prosecution."