 worth of goods from a department store in California. A gang of between 30 to 50 people descended on Nordstrom, a high-end clothing store, at the Westfield Topanga Mall in Woodland Hills, near Los Angeles. They used bear spray to incapacitate security guards before they made off with handbags and designer clothing, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Police said the thieves deployed the spray, which can cause severe irritations to the eyes and affect breathing, on two security guards. The guards were treated by paramedics but there were no further details on their condition. Footage of the incident circulating on social media shows intruders wearing hoods and masks darting between aisles while staff looked on. They knocked over display cases and tore down shelves, grabbing anything that they could. They jumped over broken glass and fled with their arms filled with expensive goods into waiting getaway cars, including a BMW and a Lexus. Spate of raids It follows a spate of similar raids in Los Angeles and other major US cities. Republican politicians have blamed soft-on-crime policies in Democrat-controlled areas for a rise in crime. The LAPD said its officers responded to calls of 'numerous persons shoplifting' at Westfield Topanga Mall shortly after 4pm on Saturday. A spokesman said its officers 'were on the scene quickly and have several investigative leads'. Police estimated the loss from the smash-and-grab raid was somewhere between $60,000 to $100,000. The same Nordstrom store was hit two years ago by a group of five masked robbers who pepper-sprayed a member of staff and made off with about $25,000 worth of goods. 'Absolutely unacceptable' Karen Bass, the Democrat mayor of Los Angeles, called the robbery 'absolutely unacceptable' and vowed they would be 'held accountable'. She said: 'The Los Angeles Police Department will continue to work to){kind=link}
Gang incapacitates security guards and steals expensive goods from Nordstrom near Los Angeles
Dozens of masked thieves used bear spray to take down security guards and ransack around $100,000 (£78,800) worth of goods from a department store in California.
A gang of between 30 to 50 people descended on Nordstrom, a high-end clothing store, at the Westfield Topanga Mall in Woodland Hills, near Los Angeles.
They used bear spray to incapacitate security guards before they made off with handbags and designer clothing, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Police said the thieves deployed the spray, which can cause severe irritations to the eyes and affect breathing, on two security guards.