After more than a year and a half of “smash and grab” style robberies in which almost half a million dollars worth of beauty merchandise was stolen across Washington state and Oregon, authorities have begun to make arrests to break up a ring of organized retail theft, according to KOMO-TV.
The Lynwood, Washington Police Department in connection with the Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force announced that they have arrested a 26-year-old woman who has not yet been identified to the media on December 28, 2023. The woman has been charged with robbery and organized retail theft. Lynwood police said they intend to make additional arrests in the case as they continue to investigate the woman’s actions.
KIRO-TV separately reports that the woman has been caught on film robbing multiple locations, often with accomplices, and acting in a manner that is described as “chaotic” and dangerous. Reportedly, she frequently brings bear spray to her robberies to intimidate any store employees who approach her, and has also allegedly smashed and destroyed a number of store displays in the process.
The Lynwood Police Department has also released at least one video of the woman during the course of one of her robberies. She can bee seen in the video smashing displays and pulling shelves out of displays.
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A spokesman for Ulta confirmed to KIRO that they have been aiding the police in their investigation, and that the woman has cost the company over $450,000 so far. According to the statement, “The rise in organized retail crime is affecting all retailers, including Ulta Beauty, and we have a dedicated nationwide team of investigators who work closely with various law enforcement agencies and other retailers to solve complex cases involving organized theft operations. We are deeply committed to this issue and to ensuring a safe working environment for our associates and shopping environment for our guests.”
Frequent Ulta shopper Anastin Lindsay told KOMO, “I would hope people can actually get stopped cause I know that this is a nationwide issue and everyone is just stealing cause the workers can’t chase them out or call or do anything.”
The woman has reportedly carried out a number of thefts across both Washington and Oregon.
The question of whether shoplifting is on the rise or not relies on somewhat conflicting data for an answer. While the number of incidents of shoplifting appears to be down since the start of the pandemic, the average value of merchandise stolen per shoplifting incident seems to have increased, corresponding with the rise of organized theft rings that have terrorized retailers across the country. In particular, retailers report that many more shoplifting incidents have become violent over the past year.