Van Crashes Into Chanel Store Near Beverly Hills in Second Burglary
For the second time in three months, thieves drove a van through the front of a Chanel store near Beverly Hills, California, in a smash-and-grab burglary.
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The incident at 125 North Robertson Boulevard was reported at 2:53 a.m. on Tuesday when a Mercedes-Benz van, believed to be stolen, rammed through the front grill and window of the store. An on-site armed security guard confronted the suspects and later notified authorities of the incident, said Det. Bernard Romero of the Los Angeles Police Department.
“Once the suspects saw the guard, they fled the location,” Romero said. “If he hadn’t been there, they would have taken more.”
The suspects left the van behind, which was impounded by the police department, said LAPD Det. Deann Larkin.
Hours after the burglary, yellow tape surrounded the structure where the store’s front window was heavily damaged. A thick black grill protecting the window was twisted like a pretzel from the impact and shards of glass carpeted the sidewalk and the store floor. A few mannequins lay strewn inside the store, looking as if they had been tossed.
Men wearing latex gloves were inside the store taking inventory to see what had been stolen.
This is the second time this Chanel store has been targeted by burglars. On July 20, thieves in the early-morning hours drove a van through the same store front. After entering, as many as eight suspects in three vehicles drove away with undisclosed items, according to the LAPD. They still have not been apprehended, police said.
The Chanel store is not technically in Beverly Hills. It is in a neighborhood called the Beverly Grove, which is next door to the tony enclave.
Ever since the pandemic began, Beverly Hills luxury stores have been a popular target by thieves.
On Aug. 13, in the early-morning hours, thieves drove a black Chevy sedan through the front of the Neiman Marcus store on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, taking off with undisclosed items, potentially handbags, according to the LAPD.
And on March 22, thieves in three cars drove to a jewelry store in Beverly Hills. Six sledge-hammer-wielding burglars smashed the glass windows and display cases of the store, stealing around $5 million in precious gems, designer watches and necklaces in broad daylight, the LAPD said.
A few weeks ago, three men were indicted for the multimillion-dollar heist.
