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Shocking clip captures shoplifters brazenly emptying shelves at Sephora outlet in LA

The alleged heist took place at the Sephora outlet in the Los Cerritos Center mall around 9 pm on Saturday, May 28

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A viral clip has raised eyebrows after it showed a trio of thieves brazenly emptying the shelves inside a Sephora makeup store in Los Angeles as shocked bystanders watched in amazement amid the nation's ongoing shoplifting crisis. 

The alleged heist took place at the Sephora outlet in the Los Cerritos Center mall around 9 pm on Saturday, May 28, and was among a series of similar incidents reported in the area that night, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. Authorities said a Forever 21 store was the first establishment to be targeted by the perps, who were seen in a 47-second recording wearing hoodies and grabbing various products before stuffing them into black trash bags.

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“Oh, my God. Oh, my f**king God,” one woman reacted as she recorded the caper on her cellphone. “F**king lowlifes.” Two store employees were seen standing nearby as the scene played out, before following the shoplifters as they ran for the exit and took off with their haul. The shocking clip was posted on Sunday, May 29, on TikTok by user @jessleetv. “I was just trying to pick out concealer then I heard a BANG…..CERRITOS MALL 5/28 at 8:50 PM," she wrote alongside the clip, which was reposted on Twitter by the handle @libsoftiktok.

The video went viral on social media, drawing various reactions from stunned viewers.

"Where's the store's security?" liberal writer David Weissman tweeted.

"In LA this wouldn’t be prosecuted as a crime," Christina Pushaw, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis's press secretary, responded.

"Sephora is experiencing Social Justice!" author Peter Boghossian quipped.

"Raise your hand if all three would be limping out and begging to be arrested by the time you finished with them," musician Jason Jones chimed in.

"Incredibly, the downgrading of these crimes to misdemeanors - so no cops will bother to turn up - was approved in a California referendum. The people VOTED for this," one Twitter user wrote.

"Until we bring back serious criminal punishment, nothing will change in Cali or other blue states. It's time to put these people in prison for a long time. And make prisons miserable again. No TV, no weights, s**tty food, and hard labor," someone else offered.

"I don’t see a problem. These poor oppressed citizens are finally getting what the democrats promised for supporting them. Free stuff," another user added, sarcastically.

This comes as shoplifting crimes are surging in major cities across the country. Los Angeles, particularly, has witnessed quite an uptick in robberies after a controversial zero-bail policy came into effect. The zero-dollar bail policy, initiated by the Bail Project during the pandemic to reduce jail crowding, has caused suspects to be quickly released from custody after they are arrested and booked for misdemeanors and low-level felonies in California. Critics say that the policy has emboldened thieves to commit crimes.

"As California struggles to contain COVID-19, this critical bill would help mitigate the crisis by preventing tens of thousands of people from cycling unnecessarily through overcrowded jails just because they cannot afford bail," the Bail Project said when the bail order was passed.

While proponents of the new policy claim it has helped lower rates of recidivism among criminal offenders, crime rates have continued to soar city and statewide, with increasing reports of smash-and-grab burglaries. As of March 2022, robberies in Los Angeles have skyrocketed by a whopping 17.2 per cent compared to the same period last year, per LAPD data.