(DailyVantage.com) – Southern California has been recently plagued with “flash mob” or mass robberies. On Tuesday, September 5, 2023, a band of four thieves were spotted acting suspiciously inside the Macy’s department store located in the Brea Mall in Orange County. Unknown to the suspects, the police were called to investigate the suspicious activity. When the thieves attempted to leave the store and encountered the police, three of the four suspects jumped into a vehicle and a reckless chase ensued. The police abandoned the chase for public safety. One suspect was arrested in front of Macy’s.
Once the suspects thought themselves clear of the police, they abandoned the vehicle near Laurel Elementary School. The school was placed on a precautionary temporary lockdown. One of the suspects called for an UBER and the threesome dashed into a nearby dentist office to wait for their ride.
Dr. Brooks Larson, the dentist at Brea Dentistry, and the staff were on their lunch break when the suspects burst into the office. A female suspect ran to the desk and claimed to be experiencing a heart attack. The staff of the dental office began following the protocol to assist a heart attack victim. As they were attempting to administer aid to the female, she suddenly experienced a miraculous recovery and the three ran out of the office, leaving tags and hangers behind as evidence of their crime.
Police had already been notified of the suspected location of the thieves and were waiting in the area when the threesome entered the rideshare vehicle and attempted to leave. The police stopped the vehicle, and the suspects were apprehended. The UBER driver was also apprehended but was later released after the investigation concluded the driver had no knowledge of the crimes.
Police were called to another robbery at a different location at the same time as the call at Macy’s. Police confirmed this was a false call made by one of the thieves as a distraction.
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