California Black Friday robbery suspects steal hammers from Home Depot
California smash-and-grab thieves were back at it on Friday — with one crew hitting up a Home Depot to steal sledgehammers, crowbars and other tools, authorities said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the Lakewood store’s entire hammer section had been cleared out by the mob of eight during the robbery, which took place at around 7:45 p.m. local time, Fox 11 reported.
The suspects — who range in age from 15 to 20 — fled in getaway cars parked outside the Home Depot, the sheriff’s department said.
The incident was among many other brazen flash-robberies committed in the region on Black Friday.
CBS LA reported that Los Angeles Police Department had issued a tactic alert for the entire city after large numbers of people raided Bottega Veneta’s Beverly Grove store.
Cops claimed that the robbers had peppersprayed someone in the Melrose Avenue shop and taken several expensive items.
According to KTLA, three armed men also took a Rolex watch out of a Melrose Avenue jewelry shop on Friday night. According to KTLA, the incident occurred at 7:01 p.m. local.
The robberies came after more than $25,000 of merchandise was plucked from the shelves at a Nordstrom in LA’s Canoga Park neighborhood on Wednesday.
The Golden State has recently been plagued by a troubling trend of smash-and-grab raids, prompting one San Francisco tech store to hire bulletproof vest-clad security guards for a staggering $30,000 each month.