Plainclothes shoplifting stings result in 11 arrests during Black Friday weekend
Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force conducted a sting operation against flash mob robberies and shoplifters that led to 11 suspects being arrested.
According to the LAPD, plainclothes officers worked with three Los Angeles-area retailers in “identifying, arresting and disrupting retail theft” between Nov. 22 and Nov. 25 – which included this year’s Black Friday shopping holiday.
“All suspects who were arrested for shoplifting were observed by the retail stores’ Loss Prevention officers who notified the plainclothes police officers in the operation,” LAPD officials said in a release. “The plainclothes officers then notified uniformed officers to come in and effect the arrest of the suspects.”
Costco purse snatching victim in critical condition after being dragged
The first sting operation was conducted by the LAPD’s Hollywood Division at a store near the 5500 block of Sunset Boulevard on Nov. 22.
A total of six suspects were arrested at that location, authorities said:
Lisa Lewis, 55, of Long Beach; arrested for shoplifting, cited and released on no bail
Ryan Karbelk, 39, of Los Angeles; arrested for shoplifting, cited and released on no bail
David Stafford, 36, of Los Angeles; arrested for shoplifting, cited and released on no bail
Verastad Derpedrosian, 40, of Los Angeles; arrested for shoplifting, cited and released on no bail
Thomas Kopay, 41, of Los Angeles; arrested for shoplifting, cited and released on no bail
Joyce Ramirez, 46, of Los Angeles; arrested for shoplifting, cited and released on no bail
The second sting took place on Black Friday near the 9800 block of South Alameda Street in Watts and was conducted by officers with the LAPD’s Southeast Division.
Five additional suspects were arrested at that location, LAPD confirmed:
Dwayne Michael Haley II, 34, of Los Angeles; arrested for petty theft, booked at 77th Street Jail and released on no bail
Cecelia Whettstone, 25, of Los Angeles; arrested for petty theft, cited and released on no bail
Yanah Meekins, 38, of Los Angeles; arrested for robbery and booked at 77th Street Jail with bail set at $50,000
Vincasia Love, 21, of Los Angeles; arrested for robbery and booked at 77th Street Jail without bail due to a probation hold
Ebony Berry, 32, of Los Angeles; arrested for robbery and booked at 77th Street Jail with bail set at $50,000
Tragic Thanksgiving Day crash kills young mother and daughter
Police released several photos of stolen merchandise from Meekins, Love and Berry’s getaway vehicle; multiple boxes of shoes and clothing items were seen strewn about the car.
“Meekins and Love had entered the business, posed as customers, grabbed several boxes of shoes and began to walk out of the store without making any attempt to pay for the shoes,” LAPD said. “An employee engaged Meekins and Love and attempted to convince them not to leave the store without paying for the shoes. Meekins and Love threatened the employee, and in fear for his life, the employee made no further attempts to stop them.”
The two suspects then ran towards a getaway car driven by Berry but were impeded by plainclothes officers who saw the robbery and called in uniformed officers to stop the vehicle.
Man, woman seriously injured in ‘city-block-sized’ fire in South Los Angeles
They were stopped and arrested before they could drive off the property, authorities said.
A third sting operation conducted on Saturday near the 14000 block of Riverside Drive in Sherman Oaks netted no arrests, law enforcement officials said.
Anyone with more information is asked to call Organized Retail Crime Task Force Detective Juan Campos at 213-486-6958.
During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-527-3247.
Anonymous tips can be submitted to L.A. Crime Stoppers by calling them at 1-800-222-8477 or by visiting their website.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
