Storefront windows smashed at Louis Vuitton, Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills

Authorities in Beverly Hills are investigating after two storefront windows near the tony shopping area of Rodeo Drive were smashed just after midnight Sunday.

Officers responded to reports of attempted burglaries at a shop in the 200 block of Rodeo Drive and another in the 9600 block of Wilshire Boulevard around 12:30 a.m., according to Capt. Max Subin of the Beverly Hills Police Department.

Witnesses reported the locations as a Louis Vuitton store and a Saks Fifth Avenue.

Subin said that multiple suspects were seen traveling in several vehicles and that they "descended on the locations and used a sledgehammer to try to break through front windows."

No entry was made in either case, he said.

The incidents occurred on the heels of a series of smash-and-grab robberies in the Bay Area, which included targeted thefts Friday and Saturday of several high-end stores, including Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom.

Police in Chicago were also investigating a similar robbery at a Neiman Marcus store Friday night.

Subin did not confirm whether officials in Beverly Hills are considering the incidents related. Beverly Hills police and armed private security have increased their patrols in the area, he said.

“This used to be the safest city in the West, but it’s not anymore,” shopper Salvano Fino told CBS-TV at the scene. “Anybody can come and just take, and it’s just getting very easy for them.”

Representatives for Louis Vuitton and Saks Fifth Avenue did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Calls to both stores went unanswered Monday morning.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.