Same group of women suspected in numerous shoplifting incidents
Roxanna Cervantes knew what was going to happen but was powerless to act.
She could do nothing but stare suspiciously and keep a watchful eye as a group of shoppers perused a pile of clothes at her Main Street boutique, women whom she had suspected were involved in a string of shoplifting incidents in the area.
She later sighed in exasperation as she watched on surveillance footage one of the women snatch a pair of jeans and run out of the store just as Cervantes turned around.
Exasperation is a feeling shared by a number of Main Street merchants these days, fed up at a group of young women who have allegedly shoplifted form several clothing boutiques, their modus operandi involving one suspect distracting a sales associate while the other goes to work.
Store owners have been on the lookout since Gary Gordon, the executive director of the Main Street Business Improvement Association, sent out an e-mail last month to area merchants about a shoplifting incident that took place at LF, a clothing boutique.
The notice states that a group of about four black women — all in their early 20s, wearing large earrings and carrying oversized bags — had been walking into the store on a weekly basis, always distracting associates, never purchasing any items but always trying to start a fitting room session.
The representative of LF stated in the letter that they are in the process of hiring a security guard. The store’s owner declined to comment.
On Tuesday evening, a group of women who fit the description walked into Life/Style in the 2700 block of Main Street, which Cervantes opened about three months ago.
Cervantes said she had been on alert since receiving the e-mail from the business association and immediately suspected that the women in her store were the suspects.
“I was trying to keep my eye on them at all times and one of the girls asked, ‘why are you looking at me,’” she said. “It was confrontational, it was a little scary and you knew they wanted to rob you.
346,“But what could you do?”
Since they hadn’t shoplifted directly in front of her eyes, Cervantes said she could do nothing but watch and make sure they didn’t try to steal.
A surveillance video showed one of the women sitting on a cushion seat near a display of designer jeans. The suspect then stood up quickly and snatched a $200 pair before running out the door along with her accomplices. The video showed that a man accompanied the suspects.
Cervantes believes she had seen the women in the store before.
The boutique has experienced numerous shoplifting incidents since it opened in the spring, losing several thousand dollars worth of dresses and jeans.
In order to address the situation, Cervantes added security tags to all merchandise, hired an extra sales associate and finally installed a security camera about a week ago.
The same group of women is believed to have targeted Clever on Main, a boutique located just a few doors down from Life/Style and across the street from LF.
Owner Radka Opalka said several female shoppers came into her store about four to six months ago, browsing the back of the boutique where there was a stack of orange T-shirts. The T-shirts disappeared after the women left.
She never reported the case to the police.
Opalka said she fears the incidents could disrupt the trusting, comforting and open nature that define a small boutique, the thefts possibly forcing owners to install cameras and affix security tags to merchandise, similar to the corporate stores.
“The boutique is not Macy’s or Old Navy, it’s a different feeling and people who steal from that can take away that feeling,” she said.
The Santa Monica Police Department responded to the report at Life/Style and are still processing the incident, according to Sgt. Renaldi Thruston. A connection between the cases at the different stores has not yet been made.
Harper Lane, a children’s boutique, was almost a shoplifting victim about three weekends ago, though co-owner Stacy Bernstein said she believes it involved a different set of women.
The owner confronted the women just as they were about to attempt the theft. Bernstein rummaged through one of their bags and found a pair of jeans that she knew were from Life/Style.
One woman appeared to be in her late 30s, the other in her 50s.
“(The thefts) are definitely putting us a little on edge,” Bernstein said. “For many of the merchants, it’s just them or an employee so this certainly iterates that we should have two people here at all times.”
Jump hedline: Same group of women suspected in numerous shoplifting incidents
Suggested pullquote: “It was confrontational, it was a little scary and you knew they wanted to rob you.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 5, 2008. Read the original PDF.