Organized Retail Theft Operation Results in the Arrest of Suspects

The LASD major crimes bureau Metro detail – burglary-robbery task force or BRTF worked for two days with the East Los Angeles station crime enforcement team, summer enforcement team and Nike loss prevention to apprehend suspects and deter criminal activity at the Nike Community Store in East Los Angeles.

On Aug. 24 and 25, detectives with BRTF conducted various surveillance operations in conjunction with Nike loss prevention at the Nike Community Store, which has experienced the same styles of larceny and organized retail theft as other businesses in the county. As a result, 10 arrests were made, four of which were felonies associated with organized retail theft, along with over $3000 dollars of recovered merchandise returned to Nike. Two of the suspects had outstanding arrest warrants, one of which was a shoplifting warrant.

Detectives and deputies identified two criminal street gangs associated with organized retail theft. During the operation, the East Los Angeles crime enforcement team and summer enforcement team deputies assisted with the arrest of a suspect associated with the theft of a cargo truck.