Westlake Village Target Hit for $1,200 in Trading Cards, Deputies Hunt Two Men

Two men walked out of a Westlake Village Target without paying earlier this month, making off with multiple boxes of sports trading cards and a stack of hygiene products worth nearly $1,200, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigators. Detectives are now asking the public to help identify the pair, whose faces were caught on the store's surveillance cameras.

The theft happened on August 14 at the Target store at 30740 Russell Ranch Road, inside the Shoppes at Westlake Village shopping center near the Los Angeles-Ventura county line, according to KTLA. Surveillance footage captured the two suspects entering the store, selecting several boxes of sports trading cards and hygiene items, and then leaving without paying, the outlet reported. The store's total loss from the incident came to $1,196.94.

Investigators with the department's Malibu/Lost Hills Station Detective Bureau described the first suspect as an adult man standing about 6 feet tall and weighing approximately 180 pounds, last seen wearing a gray shirt, gray hat, khaki pants and white shoes. The second suspect is described as an adult man about 5 feet 10 inches tall and roughly 230 pounds, with blond hair worn in a ponytail, last seen in a white t-shirt, black shorts and white shoes.

How to Report a Tip

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Malibu/Lost Hills Station Detective Bureau at 818-878-1808. Tipsters who wish to remain anonymous can instead call L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or submit information online at www.lacrimestoppers.org.

The Malibu/Lost Hills Station, headquartered in Calabasas, provides contract law enforcement for five western L.A. County cities — Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Malibu and Westlake Village — none of which maintain their own municipal police departments, according to the City of Malibu. That reliance on contract deputies means cases like this one are handled by the same regional detective bureau that covers commercial theft across the district.

A Store With a History of Shoplifting Incidents

This is not the first time the Russell Ranch Road Target has drawn attention for theft. Back in April 2023, the store was hit by back-to-back shoplifting incidents on consecutive days, with losses of nearly $2,000 in alcohol, Legos and vacuums, and one suspect escaped through an emergency exit into a waiting minivan, per FOX 11 Los Angeles. The store also made headlines in January 2021, when Target issued a public apology after security personnel falsely accused and detained three Black teenagers in connection with a shoplifting ring, a case that led to employee terminations and mandatory retraining, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Why the Dollar Amount Matters Legally

Because the alleged loss of $1,196.94 exceeds California's $950 threshold for grand theft, the case falls under Penal Code Section 487(a) rather than simple petty theft, according to the Shouse Law Group. Grand theft is what's known as a wobbler offense in California, meaning it can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony, carrying penalties of up to three years in county jail or state prison. It remains unknown whether the two suspects acted alone or as part of a larger organized retail theft operation.

The case also arrives amid a broader statewide crackdown on retail crime. Proposition 36, approved by California voters in November 2024 and in effect since that December, restored felony charges for repeat theft offenders and added mandatory enhancements for organized theft rings, per the California Policy Lab. In the first five months of 2025 alone, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office filed more than 1,000 felony petty theft and shoplifting charges against repeat offenders under the updated law, county prosecutors reported.

Task Forces Target Organized Theft Rings

The Sheriff's Department also runs a specialized Organized Retail Crime Task Force, established in September 2023, which coordinates directly with major retailers including Target to investigate regional theft rings and fencing operations, Hoodline has previously reported. Statewide, California's $242 million Organized Retail Theft Prevention Grant program helped fund more than 10,000 arrests for organized retail theft and property crimes between 2023 and 2024, according to the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom. Items like sports trading cards and personal hygiene products are frequently targeted by shoplifters because of high demand on online resale markets such as OfferUp and eBay, a pattern law enforcement has tracked in other Southern California cases.