Last weekend, a duo of thieves robbed approximately 10 businesses, including several Korean-owned shops, in a shopping complex in Downtown LA’s Fashion District. The criminals, who had carefully prepared for the heist by equipping themselves with bolt cutters and hammers, struck during a time when most stores were closed.
On August 28, business owners on the first floor of a shopping complex located at the corner of Pico Boulevard and San Pedro Street expressed their frustration.
“Since January, we’ve experienced frequent break-ins by thieves,” one Korean-American owner lamented. “It’s incredibly disheartening to see this happening repeatedly, especially in an already challenging economy where sales are down.”
According to the business owners, the break-in occurred between the afternoon of August 24 and midnight on August 25. The suspects targeted the weekend, when most stores were closed, and broke into the businesses by first entering one store and then creating holes in the walls to access the others.
Some owners reported the theft to the police on the morning of August 25, and officers visited the affected businesses to investigate. However, the thieves returned to the scene at around 10 p.m. that same night and conducted a second round of thefts before midnight.
One of the victims, Yoon, recounted, “The thieves cut the lock on our store’s front shutter, entered, and then broke through the walls to access the other shops one by one. On August 24, around 2:30 p.m., an alarm went off in another store. Later, around midnight on August 25, another store owner noticed our door was open and the lights were on, which is how we discovered the theft.”
Yoon went to the store around 2 a.m. on August 26, but by then, the thieves had already fled.
Another victim, Kwon, who had been open for business on August 25, was unaware of the other thefts due to the weekend.
He stated, “The duo broke through the wall and entered our store around 11 p.m. They moved systematically and appeared very relaxed, as seen in the security footage. They took everything valuable, including shoes, laptops, safes, and clothing.”
The security footage showed the suspects, Hispanic males in their 30s to 40s, wearing hats and t-shirts during the crime. They were seen wandering through the stores, stealing valuable items and even taking the time to light each other’s cigarettes.
On August 28, the building owner announced plans to reinforce the locks on the front shutters of the first-floor businesses to prevent further thefts.
Meanwhile, the victims are urging the LAPD to expedite the investigation, apprehend the suspects, and increase patrols in the Fashion District.
One business owner, Kim, noted, “Two months ago, two businesses were robbed in a similar manner. There are too many homeless individuals in the Fashion District, and thefts are frequent. Even when we report these incidents to the police, they often don’t respond.”
Yoon, who suffered the theft, added, “Despite reporting the theft occurred in January, nothing has been resolved. The police say there are only two officers assigned to the Fashion District. Insurance companies have even excluded theft coverage in this area, labeling it a high-risk zone. We need the city of LA to take action and provide solutions.”
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM, YOUNGNAM KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
