Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Los Angeles police arrested three people after they allegedly broke into a department store at The Grove shopping center Monday night, officials said.
Los Angeles Police Department officer Drake Madison told KABC-TV the suspects broke a window and entered the Nordstrom store around 11 p.m.
The Los Angeles Times reported that surveillance footage from the scene showed that the thieves used a sledgehammer to break the window. Madison said they stole clothing and a cash register before leading police on a foot and car chase.
Officials arrested the suspects in South Los Angeles a few hours later.
The LAPD said another smash-and-grab took place at a CVS shortly before The Grove break-in. There, a group of six people stole $8,500 in cash and three cash registers.
The head of The Grove security told KNBC-TV the suspects didn't enter any other businesses at the shopping mall.
KNBC-TV and KTLA-TV reported that about 20 people participated in the crime, but police said it's unclear whether more people were involved.
Monday's is one of multiple large-scale smash-and-grabs that have taken place in California in recent days.
Police in Walnut Creek, Calif., arrested three people Sunday after a group of about 80 broke into and ransacked a Nordstrom. Police in the San Francisco Bay Area community described the incident as "organized theft."
