Task force arrests 28-year-old connected to flash mob robbery at Nordstrom

A task force dedicated to fighting organized retail crime has tracked down one of the many suspects that hit a Nordstrom during a flash mob robbery last year. 

The task force, which consists of officers from all over Los Angeles County, arrested 28-year-old Travelle Hamblet in Lancaster on Jan. 31. Detectives found an unregistered handgun, an extended magazine, ammunition and about $4,500 while searching the area. 

The flash mob robbery happened on Aug. 12, 2023, when at least 20 suspects flooded into the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center department store in Canoga Park. The crowd ravaged Nordstrom and took anything they could get their hands on, including clothing purses and even full displays, as customers and employees watched in astonishment.

The minutes of havoc resulted in losses of about $300,000.

This was a series of flash mob robberies at several Los Angeles County shopping centers, one of which happened at a Saint Laurent in the Glendale Americana. The suspects made off with about $300,000 worth of merchandise. 

The Glendale Police Department said the Organized Retail Crime Task Force made about 142 arrests, nine of which were connected to the robbery at the Americana.