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At least two thieves used a stolen van to smash through the front of a Los Angeles Chanel store early Tuesday morning, the second incident of its kind in three months.
The smash-and-grab happened just after 2.30am at the high-end designer store located in Beverly Grove, a neighborhood located between La Brea, Fairfax, and Beverly Hills.
Police said Tuesday morning that a group of suspects drove the van into the front window of the Chanel store in an attempt to steal the merchandise found inside.
The window was barred with a grate at the time of the incident, video and photos from the scene show.
Additionally, police told DailyMail.com outlets that the van used by the unidentified suspects had recently been stolen.
The gray Mercedes printer van used to drive through the front window was taken from LA’s South Central area, LAPD confirmed Tuesday.
Police responded early Tuesday morning to the Chanel store in Beverly Grove for reports of a burglary
An armed security guard was inside at the time and was able to fend off the suspects after they smashed the vehicle through the window
On July 20, the same Chanel store in Beverly Grove was hit by burglars looking to smash and grab as much high-end merchandise as they could
Chanel bags were seen strewn on the sidewalk Tuesday morning after the burglary. Some purses sold by the designer brand cost upwards of $4,000
At this time, it’s unclear how many items were stolen from the store or how much the items are worth
Police and Chanel employees were inside the store Tuesday taking inventory and looking for evidence after the suspects fled the scene
As of 9am Pacific Standard Time, the vehicle has been towed from the front of the store.
Upon driving through the window, the suspects were met by an armed security guard inside of the designer store.
The guard was able to give a description of at least one of the suspects before they fled the scene.
The number of items stolen from Chanel is unknown at this time, as is the value of any lost inventory.
Chanel workers are currently sorting through the store to account for anything that may have been taken.
Video from local news outlets showed a messy scene with glass shattered both on the sidewalk outside of the location as well as on the floor of the store.
In one clip, handbags appeared strewn across the ground.
Some cases inside the store were smashed in as the suspects attempted to get away with the expensive merchandise
At least two suspects rammed a stolen gray Mercedes van through the gated front window of the high-end designer store, shattering the glass completely
Display cases were damaged when the suspects drove into the store Tuesday morning. Some merchandise, including sunglasses, looked undisturbed
According to Chanel’s website, purses sold by the company can range in price from $200 to upwards of $4,000.
The suspects were able to flee the scene in an unknown vehicle police said.
One suspect of an unidentified race was said to be wearing a white face mask and a yellow jacket.
Another suspect, a black male, was wearing a blue hoodie and had salt and pepper hair, LAPD officials told DailyMail.com.
The investigation is ongoing at this time and police are currently searching for footage of the incident.
Any video found may be released to the media later, officials said.
This incident comes just three months after the exact same store was burglarized in July.
Thieves used a white van to ram into the entrance and grab merchandise.
Thousands of dollars worth of Chanel items were stolen in the July 20 burglary before the group took off in two vehicles.
The four suspects in that incident were later arrested for allegedly burglarizing a Neiman Marcus store Fashion Island shopping mall in Newport Beach just hours after the Chanel hit.
The burglaries come amid a growing crime wave in the City of Angels, with similar crimes up more than 17 percent over last year, and burglaries up 15 percent.
Overall, violent crimes are now up nearly 5 percent from last year, with property crimes up a whopping 12 percent.
In 2021, Jacqueline Avant, 81, a philanthropist and the wife of music legend Clarence Avant, was killed in a home invasion robbery and shooting.
Jacqueline Avant, left, a philanthropist and the wife of musician Clarence Avant, was killed in her home on December 1, 2021
An alarming incident that caused an uptick in gun ownership in some Los Angeles neighborhoods.
‘Everyone has a general sense of constant fear, which is very sad,’ said Beverly Hills Guns owner Russell Stuart. ‘We’re used to this being like Mayberry.’ He was referring to the peaceful fictional town from The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD.
But over the past year, Hollywood’s total violent crime rate increased 25 percent with its homicide rate doubling, robberies up 41.6 percent and shootings up 54.2 percent over last year, Los Angeles Police Department shows.
That is higher than the crime rate in the rest of the city, which saw homicides climb 12 percent over last year, robberies up 5.3 percent and shootings up 14.8 percent.
‘Beverly Hills is definitely a target,’ said David Perez, a security expert who previously worked security in the Clinton White House and at the Pentagon.
‘We’re telling clients ‘Hey don’t go out with flashy jewelry. Try to keep a low profile. Instead of driving the Bentley maybe just take the SUV.”
The city’s crime spike dates back to widespread looting following Black Lives Matter protests on Rodeo Drive, that left some high-end stores with broken windows, according to the LA Magazine.
Those smash-and-grab lootings continued again in 2021, with the LAPD arresting 14 suspects alleged to have been involved in 11 recent smash-and-grab robberies at stores in the area.
Nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen in strikes on an LA Nordstrom, a Lululemon in Studio City, a Fairfax district store, and a CVS pharmacy in South LA in November of 2021.
Some blame the rise in crime on District Attorney George Gascon who has faced rampant criticism for his laid-back approach when it comes to the criminal justice system.
The Los Angeles DA was recalled in 2020 but efforts to unseat him failed.
District Attorney George Gascon has survived two recall efforts since he took the office
In winter of 2021, the head of a union that represents roughly 1,000 Los Angeles County prosecutors slammed District Attorney George Gascon for keeping mum despite on the string of smash-and-grab robberies plaguing Southern California.
‘He’s created an atmosphere devoid of accountability,’ said Eric Siddall, vice president of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys, during an appearance on Fox News.
In August, Gascon survived yet another recall effort.
‘Grateful to move forward from this attempted political power grab — rest assured LA County, the work hasn’t stopped,’ Gascón said on Twitter after the second recall attempt failed. ‘My primary focus has been & will always be keeping us safe & creating a more equitable justice system for all.’
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