80 People Loot Nordstrom with Crowbars

About 80 people ransacked a San Francisco Nordstrom on Sunday, assaulting employees and making off with merchandise in cars waiting outside, the Associated Press reports.

With some wearing ski masks and wielding crowbars, the hoard of thieves rushed the store in a flash mob-style raid. Just three of the culprits were arrested, the article says. Two employees were assaulted and one was hit with pepper spray in what police called “clearly a planned event.”

NBC Bay Area reporter Jodi Hernandez described the scene on Twitter: “About 25 cars just blocked the street and rushed into the Walnut Creek Nordstrom making off with goods before getting in cars and speeding away.”

This was the second large-scale theft in two days for San Francisco, as a similar – and possibly connected – incident unfolded the day prior when a group of people stormed several high-end stores in Union Square including Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Yves Saint Laurent, Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana. Those looters smashed windows, stole merchandise and ran to waiting cars, the article says.

The Nordstrom store that was hit on Sunday has been a frequent target of thefts. In August, the retailer lobbied the City of Walnut Creek for a heightened police presence, even offering to reimburse the city for police overtime.

#Breaking About 25 cars just blocked the street and rushed into the Walnut Creek Nordstrom making off with goods before getting in cars snd speeding away. At least two people arrested at gunpoint. pic.twitter.com/AG3R94M9L3

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— Jodi Hernandez (@JodiHernandezTV) November 21, 2021

Read more at the Associated Press.