The Los Angeles Police Department announced Thursday it busted an organized crime group that targeted jewelry and retail businesses in the U.S. and abroad, including a theft in Los Angeles last month.
A monthlong investigation led to the arrests of two people and the identification of six others sought in connection with a series of grand thefts, police said in a statement. Investigators believe the group has been active since at least 2016 and targeted businesses in several states including California, Michigan, Florida, Tennessee, Minnesota, Texas and Washington as well as others in the United Kingdom and Canada.
The Glendale Police Department, Arcadia Police Department, Pasadena Police Department, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Jewelers’ Security Alliance also were involved in the investigation.
During a Dec. 16 robbery, several suspects walked into Good Art HLYWD, a high-end jewelry store in Pico Union, and said they had an appointment to view jewelry, according to an affidavit submitted by LAPD officer Bryan Espinosa to establish probable cause in a search warrant executed after the incident.
The men flashed a large sum of cash and said they were looking for a gift for their father, the shop’s owner, Josh Warner, told KTLA. The store typically accepts customers only by appointment.
As they were shown jewelry, one distracted the employee and made off with two pieces, fleeing in a black BMW, according to the warrant.
The thieves got by a security guard standing outside, but their images were captured by surveillance video, KTLA reported.
The pieces stolen were worth $ 200,000, Warner said.
While executing the warrant, detectives recovered watches, jewelry and clothing believed to be stolen, police said. The department posted photos of evidence recovered and of the suspects, seeking businesses that might recognize their stolen property and requesting the public’s help in identifying other thefts that may be linked.
Staff writer Libor Jany contributed to this report.
