A group of robbers hit a Nordstrom at a local shopping center Wednesday night in the Westfield Topanga Mall, injuring a store employee with pepper spray.
Unlike other recent robberies, this was not a smash and grab.
A group of five robbers wearing masks entered the Nordstrom from Victory Boulevard, later escaping in a grey Ford Mustang, according to police.
“Attacked with a caustic chemical, after the initial suspect attacked the security guard, additional suspects entered the location and removed a number of high valued purses. The loss is going to total roughly $25,000” Capt. Alan Hamilton of the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
LAPD says it’s boosted mall patrols due to a rash of robberies in recent days such as the luxury stores targeted last weekend in Beverly Hills and the Nordstrom at the Grove on Monday.
Police confirmed the robbers got away in a Ford Mustang, but it is unknown in which direction they went.
They’re asking the public to take steps to stay safe and be a good witness, if possible.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
“It’s similar in nature because we had a number of suspects enter simultaneously, remove property and then flee back to a vehicle,” Hamilton said. “We had a lot of officers in the area but unfortunately in this particular area there were no officers at this spot.
LAPD is asking anyone who sees the robbers' vehicle to call the non emergency hotline at 877-ASK-LAPD.
