2 Arrested In Redondo Beach Thefts; Video Released Of Bear Spray Attack On Security Guard At Topanga Mall
REDONDO BEACH (CBSLA) — Police agencies in Southern California working overtime to crackdown on the rash of retail thefts that have recently plagued Southern California's shopping malls.
Redondo Beach police say they've made two arrests in connection with recent thefts at the Galleria mall. Malik Trevon Oaks, 23, and 26-year-old Khristian Jamol Clayton Phillips were arrested Saturday while allegedly leaving a store on Hawthorne Boulevard with approximately $2,400 in stolen merchandise.
Investigators say they've connected the two men with a group that has targeted a specific retailer on several occasions and have stolen in excess of $15,000 in merchandise since Nov. 5. The same group is believed to have committed similar thefts in Los Angeles and Orange County.
Oaks and Phillips both are being held at the Redondo Beach jail on $250,000 bail.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles police detectives investigating two separate incidents of "flash mob thefts" released store security video Monday of a thief spraying bear spray at a security guard at the Nordstrom store in the Westfield Topanga mall in Woodland Hills. The same group is believed to have ransacked several stores on Beverly Boulevard at the Beverly Center.
Anyone with information about the LAPD investigations can call 1-877-LAPD-247 (877-527-3247).
