In a brazen act that's left a local business reeling, a La Puente store specializing in collectible Labubu dolls was meticulously robbed, with the culprits making off with more than $30,000 worth of the popular plush toys. According to NBC Los Angeles, the smash-and-grab robbery occurred early Wednesday morning and was recorded by the store’s surveillance cameras, showing at least four individuals breaking through the front door and systematically looting the store of its most valuable items.
The owner, Joanna Avendano, stated, "We do TikTok lives, and we’re on Instagram. People know we’re here," reflecting the vulnerability that comes with a social media presence. Professionals in the field have long debated, is social media a boon for local businesses, exposing them to a wider audience, or is it a double-edged sword that also alerts would-be criminals to businesses' vulnerabilities? Avendano had an inkling something was amiss and checked her phone's surveillance app, only to witness the crime in progress, telling ABC7, "Once I checked my phone, I saw there was motion, a sound that was coming through the front."
While the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department responded to the break-in, they currently have no suspects in custody. The stolen Labubus, some listed for as much as $500 each on the store’s website, have a storied background as storybook characters created by artist Kasing Lung and have recently become a part of mainstream collectible culture. As per the CBS News Los Angeles report, the store owners have reached out to social media for help in identifying the thieves, sharing the devastating footage of the burglary online.
The emotional toll of the incident is palpable, with Avendano recalling to ABC7 that, "There was a lot taken, maybe like around $30,000 or more of inventory", she said.
