The LAPD has cracked down on shoplifters in a big way, netting 14 arrests in a two-day Retail Theft Blitz. The operation was staged in Downtown Los Angeles' problem areas, where rampant retail theft has seen merchants hemorrhaging thousands daily. These latest efforts by Central Area Burglary detectives were revealed by the LAPD in a statement released earlier this week.
Specially targeted locations included a store on the 600 block of South Broadway and a retailer in the bustling FIGat7th Plaza. Conducted by collaborating with the retailers that have been affected, the blitz was meant to stem the tide of shoplifting with an increase in police pressure. It's reported that on February 29th, four suspects were nabbed, and on the following day, an additional ten, which included three minors, facing the long arm of the law.
As detailed in a report by the LAPD, suspects range in age from 19 to 54. Notably among those arrested on February 29th were 38-year-old Mario Moreno and 19-year-old Kristyanna Banuelos. The net widened on March 1st, ensnaring 25-year-old Valeria Vazquez-Zuniga, 54-year-old Augustus Evans, and several others.
Some suspects, as per the Los Angeles County Felony / Misdemeanor Bail Schedule, were eligible for the Cite and Release program, and others, trapped by past indiscretions, found pending warrants waiting. The LAPD urges anyone with information on similar crimes to reach out to their Central Burglary Theft Detectives or anonymously through the LA Regional Crime Stoppers' hotline and their "P3 Tips" mobile application.
