Berkeley Police Arrest 7 Organized Retail Crime Suspects

BERKELEY, CA — Berkeley Police officers arrested seven suspects in three different organized retail thefts on Wednesday — two at REI and one at Sephora. Officers also recovered more than $7,000 worth of stolen goods.

The police department released this narrative of the operation —

• At 11:58 AM, we responded to a theft at REI, where suspects stole merchandise and fled in a vehicle. Our officers quickly responded to the area where they located and stopped the suspect vehicle. Two suspects were detained, and over $2,000 worth of stolen REI merchandise was recovered. Both suspects were positively identified and arrested.
• At 3:15 PM, we received a call about a theft in progress at Sephora. Our Officers responded quickly to the location and observed the three suspects walking near the exit with concealed merchandise in their personal bags. Officers detained the suspects and recovered over $4,000 worth of stolen merchandise. All three suspects were positively identified and arrested.
• At 6:32 PM, we were alerted to another theft at REI. Officers located and detained suspects matching the description in a nearby parking lot. The suspects were in possession of over $1,000 worth of stolen REI merchandise. The two suspects were positively identified, the merchandise was recovered, and the suspects were arrested.