Nine people drove a stolen truck through the front of The RealReal on Melrose Avenue this morning. They were in and out before anyone could stop them.
Sergeant Chapman with the West Hollywood Sheriff’s confirmed to WEHOonline the break-in happened around 1:20 a.m. at the luxury consignment retailer at the 8400 block of West Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood. Investigators said the suspects used a stolen red GMC Sierra to ram through the storefront. All nine suspects were male, wore black clothing and had their faces covered. They grabbed high-end luxury merchandise and left in multiple getaway vehicles as the alarm sounded.
It didn’t take long.
West Hollywood Sheriff’s deputies had the business surrounded and a stretch of Melrose Avenue shut down by early Friday morning. The investigation was still active when KTLA reported the story early Friday morning.
No arrests have been announced. Authorities haven’t said how much merchandise was taken.
Detectives are reviewing surveillance footage from cameras near the store. They’re also looking into whether this break-in connects to a string of smash-and-grab burglaries that hit three businesses along Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax District just three days ago — Milk Bar, NailBay, and LALA’s Argentine Grill, all within roughly three blocks, all in the same early morning window. One suspect was taken into custody in that incident. Investigators haven’t confirmed whether the two cases are related.
A witness at the scene told WEHOonline deputies arrived quickly “given the Sheriff’s station is roughly two blocks away, but that suspects had already scattered.” The witness said the truck was used to ram through the glass storefront.
A Flock Safety mobile surveillance trailer was positioned on Melrose Avenue one block from the scene Friday morning. The City of West Hollywood contracts the trailers through the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which moves them based on crime trends. Sheriff’s Captain Fanny Lapkin told the West Hollywood Public Safety Commission earlier this year that deputies had used the trailer on Melrose previously to identify vehicles and suspects in crimes. We’ll have to see if this helps them solve the crime.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department at 310.855-8850.
Wait until they make the Robin hood train going through nimbywood..!
WOW get ready for retail exodus.
A sad day for West Hollywood and West Hollywood businesses. They will be forced to consider additional expensive security measures. and this incident does not bode well for their insurance costs.
One can only hope the thieves used their personal cars with their actual license plates to escape, and that somewhere their cars were captured on camera.