Overview
- Authorities linked at least 20 burglaries at high-end eyewear and boutique shops from February through July across Los Angeles County and Orange County, including Venice, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach and La Jolla.
- Investigators say the crew used stolen older SUVs or pickup trucks to ram storefronts in early morning hours, grabbed merchandise with laundry baskets or bins, then escaped in coordinated convoys.
- Police report about $2.68 million in stolen merchandise and roughly $499,000 in property damage tied to the series of burglaries.
- Three adults — Phillip T. Harris, 37, of Bellflower; Orlando D. Neal, 37, of Los Angeles; and Rasheed Reed, 25, of Compton — were arrested along with three juveniles who were not identified.
- Prosecutors filed 26 counts of burglary and grand theft plus firearm-related charges, as a multi-agency task force using shared surveillance and vehicle forensics continues to pursue at least ten identified suspects.