Thieves use a van to smash through front of LA Chanel store for second time in three months
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At least two thieves slammed a stolen van through the front of a Chanel store in Los Angeles early Tuesday morning, the second incident of its kind in three months.
The smash-and-grab took place just after 2:30 a.m. at the high-end designer store in Beverly Grove, a neighborhood between La Brea, Fairfax and Beverly Hills.
Police said Tuesday morning that a group of suspects had driven the van into the windshield of the Chanel store in an attempt to steal the goods found inside.
The window was barred at the time of the incident with a grid, video and photos of the scene showing.
In addition, police told DailyMail.com that the van used by the unidentified suspects had recently been stolen.
The gray Mercedes printer bus that drove through the windshield is from LA’s South Central area, the LAPD confirmed Tuesday.
Police responded to the Chanel store in Beverly Grove early Tuesday morning for reports of a break-in
An armed guard was inside at the time and was able to fend off the suspects after smashing the vehicle through the window
On July 20, the same Chanel store in Beverly Grove was hit by burglars who wanted to vandalize and get hold of as much high-end merchandise as possible.
Chanel bags were strewn on the sidewalk on Tuesday morning after the break-in. Some purses sold by the designer brand cost upwards of $4,000
At the moment it is unclear how many items were stolen from the store or how much the items are worth
Police and Chanel employees were at the store on Tuesday to take inventory and search for evidence after the suspects fled the scene
As of 9:00 am Pacific Standard Time, the vehicle has been towed from the front of the store.
As they drove through the window, the suspects were met by an armed guard at the designer store.
The guard was able to give a description of at least one of the suspects before they fled the scene.
The number of items stolen from Chanel is unknown at this time, as is the value of any lost inventory.
Chanel employees are currently sorting through the store to account for anything that may have been stolen.
Video from local newscasts showed a messy scene with glass shattered both on the sidewalk outside the venue and on the floor of the store.
In one clip, handbags appeared scattered on the floor.
Some items in the store were smashed as the suspects tried to get away with the expensive merchandise
At least two suspects rammed a stolen gray Mercedes van through the gated windshield of the luxury designer store, completely shattering the glass
Showcases were damaged Tuesday morning when the suspects entered the store. Some merchandise, including sunglasses, looked undisturbed
According to Chanel’s website, purses sold by the company can range in price from $200 to over $4,000.
The suspects fled the scene in an unknown vehicle, police said.
A suspect of unknown race would wear a white face mask and yellow jacket.
Another suspect, a black man, wore a blue hoodie and had salt and pepper hair, LAPD officials told DailyMail.com.
The investigation is currently ongoing and police are currently looking for footage of the incident.
Any video found could be released to the media later, officials said.
This incident comes just three months after the exact same store was broken into in July.
Thieves used a white van to ram into the entrance and grab merchandise.
In the July 20 break-in, thousands of dollars worth of Chanel items were stolen before the group fled in two vehicles.
The four suspects in that incident were later arrested for allegedly breaking into a Neiman Marcus store Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach just hours after the Chanel hit.
The burglaries come amid a growing crime wave in the City of Angels, with similar crimes more than 17 percent more than last year and burglaries up 15 percent.
Overall, violent crime is now up nearly 5 percent from last year, while property crime is up a whopping 12 percent.
In 2021, Jacqueline Avant, 81, a philanthropist and the wife of music legend Clarence Avant, was killed in a robbery and shooting.
Jacqueline Avant, left, a philanthropist and the wife of musician Clarence Avant, was murdered in her home on December 1, 2021
An alarming incident that led to an increase in gun ownership in some Los Angeles neighborhoods.
“Everyone has a general sense of constant fear, which is very sad,” said Russell Stuart, owner of Beverly Hills Guns. “We’re used to it being like Mayberry.” He was referring to the peaceful fictional town from The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD.
But over the past year, Hollywood’s total violent crime rate has increased 25 percent, with murders doubling, robberies up 41.6 percent and shootings up 54.2 percent from last year, according to the report. according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
That’s higher than crime rates in the rest of the city, where homicides rose 12 percent last year, robberies by 5.3 percent and shootings by 14.8 percent.
“Beverly Hills is definitely a target,” said David Perez, a security expert who previously worked in security at the Clinton White House and the Pentagon.
“We tell customers ‘Hey, don’t go out with flashy jewelry. Try to keep a low profile. Instead of driving the Bentley, maybe you could just take the SUV.”
The city’s crime peak dates back to widespread looting after Black Lives Matter protests on Rodeo Drive, which left a number of luxury stores with broken windows, according to LA Magazine.
Those smash-and-grab looting continued into 2021, with the LAPD arresting 14 suspects allegedly involved in 11 recent smash-and-grab robberies at stores in the area.
In November 2021, nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen in strikes at an LA Nordstrom, a Lululemon in Studio City, a Fairfax district store, and a CVS dispensary in South LA.
Some blame the rise in crime on District Attorney George Gascon, who has drawn rampant criticism for his laid-back approach to the criminal justice system.
The Los Angeles DA was recalled in 2020, but attempts to expel him failed.
District Attorney George Gascon has survived two recalls since taking office
In the winter of 2021, the head of a union representing about 1,000 Los Angeles County prosecutors reprimanded prosecutor George Gascon for keeping his mother despite the string of robberies that plagued Southern California.
“He’s created an atmosphere without accountability,” Eric Siddall, vice president of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys, said during an appearance on Fox News.
Gascon survived another one in August to remind attempt.
“Grateful to continue with this attempted political coup – rest assured LA County, the work has not stopped,” Gascón said on Twitter after the second recall attempt failed. “My primary focus has been and will always be to keep us safe and create a fairer justice system for all.”