BAG BANDITS
Shocking moment ‘NINE shoplifters’ steal designer bags from Neiman Marcus in San Francisco but ‘security does nothing’
SHOCKING video footage has captured the moment that a group of looters brazenly ransacked a Neiman Marcus store, making off with a number of designer handbags.
Police say at least nine people smashed display cases, snatched bags, and ran out of the store in San Francisco's Union Square at 6pm on Monday.
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The cohort of thieves had fled the scene by the time officers arrived, police said.
Witnesses told KTVU that the brazen robbery happened just before the store was about to close.
Dramatic cellphone footage shows the suspects bolting out the front door of the store with their arms filled with merchandise.
They all run in different directions and appear to flee the scene in awaiting getaway cars parked out front.
Photos captured inside the store show smashed display cases and toppled mannequins.
Witnesses told police they counted at least nine people - both men and women - fleeing from the store with stolen goods.
In a statement to KTVU, a spokesperson for Neiman Marcus said: "The safety and welfare of our associates and customers is our top priority, and we’re relieved to report that no one was harmed in the incident.
"We’re cooperating with the SFPD in their investigation," the spokesperson added.
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San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin also spoke out to condemn the crime, insisting no retailer or its employees should ever have to endure "brazen, organized theft depicted in this video."
Police have not yet made any arrests or identified any suspects in relation to the incident.
Boudin told local media that his office will "immediately review" any arrest police bring to identify appropriate charges.
"Retail thefts are made profitable by criminal networks that fence stolen goods," he said. "To deter retail theft, we must dismantle the criminal networks that profit from it."
He added that his office operated a specialized Organized Crime Unit that targets such criminal networks.
Last year, that partnership led to the recovery of more than $8 million in stolen goods, he said.
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Monday's incident comes amid a troubling surge in shoplifting in the California city.
Critics have blamed changes to the law, such as a measure in 2014 which downgraded property theft less than $950 to a misdemeanor.
This means that store and security staff no longer pursue thieves who steal anything worth less than $1,000.
Boudin himself has come under fire for allegedly not doing enough to combat the problem.
The monetary value of Monday's ransacking remains unclear.
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Similar thefts have forced Walgreens to close 17 stores in San Francisco over the last five years.
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Target also announced last week that it will be limiting store hours because of an uptick in larceny.
Stores will now close at 6pm instead of 10pm.
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