Walnut Creek police foil attempted smash-and-grab burglary at Broadway Plaza Louis Vuitton store
WALNUT CREEK -- Police in Walnut Creek halted an attempted smash-and-grab burglary in process at the Louis Vuitton store in Broadway Plaza early Tuesday morning as suspects rammed a stolen Land Rover into the front of the business.
According to a press release issued by the Walnut Creek Police Department, shortly before 4:30 a.m., police dispatch received multiple 911 calls of an incident at the Louis Vuitton store located at 1211 Broadway Plaza.
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Within one minute, a Walnut Creek officer arrived on scene and interrupted the approximately 15 suspects in four vehicles attempting to burglarize the store.
Upon seeing the officer, the suspects fled in several directions. Additional responding officers saw one of the suspect vehicles fleeing westbound on Highway 24 at a high rate of speed. Officers pursued the vehicle but ultimately terminated the pursuit near Orinda due to public safety concerns.
Stolen Land Rover
Police recovered a black 2017 Land Rover which was abandoned by the suspects in front of the store. Officers later determined the vehicle was stolen out of Sacramento. It appeared the suspects were using the Land Rover to gain access to the store by ramming the vehicle into the window. The Land Rover has been impounded for evidence.
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Authorities said the value of the loss and damage to the store is currently unknown at this time. The Police Department's Investigations Bureau is in the process of gathering surveillance footage and is actively following up on investigative leads. No additional information was available on the attempted robbery.
Ongoing Burglary Issues
A number of stores in the Broadway Plaza shopping area have been targeted by thieves in the past few years. In November of 2021, a large group of suspects arrived in 25 vehicles stormed the Nordstrom store just before closing time, taking an estimated $125,000 in merchandise. During the thefts, employees were also pepper-sprayed, kicked, punched and assaulted with a knife.
Four suspects were arrested in connection with the crime. In response to that crime and other robberies, Walnut Creek beefed up its police presence in the area. The city spent $2 million over 18 months to add five officers to a new downtown beat, adding security cameras to the area, and flying a tether drone over Broadway Plaza.
The city also installed barriers on either end of Broadway Plaza Street after the Nordstrom robbery which prevented any cars from driving through the shopping district for over a year. Those barriers were removed in March of this year.
Anyone with information regarding the incident at the Louis Vuitton store is asked to contact Detective Matt Smith at msmith@walnutcreekpd.com.
