Retailers in the Bay Area are on edge after a series of large mobs of people stormed stores this month and robbed them of their merchandise.
The wave of crimes has prompted officials to increase police patrols at shopping centers and even prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to announce "these people need to be held accountable."
"I have no sympathy, no empathy whatsoever for people smashing and grabbing, stealing people's items, creating havoc and terror in our streets," Newsom said. "None. Period. Full stop. We want real accountability. We want people prosecuted. And we want people to feel safe this holiday season."
Bay Area district attorneys are also forming an alliance against the organized retail thefts to ensure suspects face proper accountability.
Police continue to investigate the crimes and have not said if they are related.
Here's a breakdown of the recent retail robberies reported in the region.
Timeline of Bay Area Retail Robberies
- 8:41 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23: Police said two suspects arrested following an attempted theft at the Macy's department store at Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara.
- Monday, Nov. 22: Around 30 people are seen in surveillance video rushing into Prime 356 in downtown Oakland and clearing out its inventory.
- 1:20 a.m. Monday, Nov. 22: Police say a group broke into the Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton
- Before midnight Sunday, Nov. 21: Dozens of thieves targeted a high-end consignment store in Palo Alto.
- 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21: Group of suspects take off with merchandise at Lululemon in Santana Row
- 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21: Smash-and-grab robbery at Sam's Jewelers inside Hayward's Southland Mall
- 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20: Dozens of thieves ransack Nordstrom in Walnut Creek
- 8:10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19: Smash-and-grab robbery reported at Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco's Union Square
- 2:10 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17: Group uses bats and hammers to break glass counter at a jewelry store in Fairfield's Solano Town Center, police say
- 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15: Group of nine people armed with hammers smash jewelry cases and take off with merchandise at the Sun Valley Mall in Concord
Suspects Arrested in Attempted Valley Fair Mall Theft
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Police said two suspects were arrested Tuesday, Nov. 23, after allegedly walking out of a Macy's store in Santa Clara with about $2,000 worth of merchandise.
The incident was reported at 8:41 p.m. after the suspects attempted to run from the department store in the Westfield Valley Fair shopping mall.
Swarm of Thieves Steal From Mom-and-Pop Shop in Oakland
At least 30 people are seen in surveillance video storming into Prime 356 in downtown Oakland and clearing the mom-and-pop shop of its inventory. The break-in was reported Monday, Nov. 21, and is the second time the local business has been hit by thieves.
Group Breaks Into Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton
Police are investigating after they say nine people broke into the Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton.
The incident was reported around 1:20 a.m. Monday. Police said the group entered the mall by removing the sliding glass door off its track at an entrance by Men's Wearhouse. Police believe the suspects tried to break into a jewelry store but failed because of metal rollaway gates. The group left after about two minutes inside the mall, according to police, who are not sure if the incident is related to other retail robberies.
Thieves Target Palo Alto Consignment Store
Dozens of thieves targeted The Real Real, a high-end consignment store along University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto.
Police said around 30 people were involved in the attempted break-in just before midnight on Sunday, Nov. 21. The thieves did not get away with anything, but did break windows, according to police.
Officers were able to make two arrests after stopping two drivers trying to get away from the mob scene.
Suspects Take Merchandise From Lulumelon in Santana Row
A group of at least eight people, including one with a gun, robbed the Lulumelon store at Santana Row. The incident was reported at around 6:30 p.m. Sunday.
The group made off with an estimated $40,000 in merchandise.
Smash-and-Grab Robbery at Hayward's Southland Mall
Police in Hayward are investigating a smash-and-grab robbery at Sam's Jewelers at Southland Mall. The incident was reported around 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
At least nine people broke into the store, used hammers to smash display cases and grabbed merchandise before driving off.
An employee at the mall told NBC Bay Area another jewelry store at Southland was also hit by a smash-and-grab robbery last month.
Dozens Ransack Nordstrom in Walnut Creek
More than 50 thieves ransacked the Nordstrom store in Broadway Plaza about 9 p.m. Saturday. Police said the group also assaulted at least two store employees and pepper-sprayed another. Three suspects were arrested, but dozens fled the scene in vehicles waiting nearby.
Three people were later charged with multiple felonies.
Walnut Creek police alerted businesses and residents to be on alert following the incident.
Arrests Made After Thieves Hit Louis Vuitton Store in San Francisco's Union Square
Multiple suspects were arrested late Friday after a smash-and-grab robbery at a Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco's Union Square, police said.
A city official told NBC Bay Area a group smashed the door of the store and pushed a guard over.
In all, nine Union Square stores were hit and much of it were caught on now-viral videos. Here's a list of stores targeted, according to police:
- Louis Vuitton (233 Geary)
- Burberry (Westfield Mall)
- Bloomingdales (Westfield Mall)
- Jin's Eyeglass (151 Powell)
- Maxford's Jewelry (601 Kearny)
- Yves Saint Laurent (801 Geary)
- Walgreens (825 Market)
- Fendi (195 Grant)
- Hermes (125 Grant)
City officials said they will flood the area with police officers to prevent more crimes.
$50K in Stolen Jewelry Recovered After Fairfield Smash-and-Grab
Three people have been arrested and $50,000 in stolen jewelry has been recovered following a smash-and-grab robbery in Fairfield, police said.
The incident was reported around 2:10 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 17, when police responded to reports of people entering a jewelry store in the Solano Town Center mall and using bats and hammers to break the glass counter tops to steal jewelry.
Smash-and-Grab at Sun Valley Mall Jewelry Store
A group of nine people armed with hammers entered a jewelry store in Concord and smashed glass display cases to steal merchandise, police said. The incident was reported around 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15, at the Iceberg Diamonds jewelry store inside the Sun Valley Mall.
