On the afternoon of August 28, a shocking theft occurred at a clothing store in Arcadia, a city celebrated for its vibrant Chinese community. Four women entered the store and made off with several high-end purses, accumulating a loss exceeding $3,000, according to the store owner, who preferred to remain anonymous.
The drama unfolded around 4:15 PM at a shopping plaza on East Duarte Road, where security footage captured the women skillfully coordinating their actions. They folded stolen bags swiftly and concealed them in oversized bags that they hid under their skirts. “They used a diversion tactic,” the owner explained. “As they were leaving, two of them blocked my view with clothes, making me think they were just trying to exit without paying for those items. Little did I know, the other two were already stealing the bags.”
Mr. Liu, who owns a neighboring shop, recalled the moment he heard someone shouting his name while he was inside his store. Instinctively sensing something was amiss, he rushed outside, only to find the clothing store owner alerting him to the robbery. “I saw the four women sprinting toward the parking lot and jumping into a car,” he said.
When Mr. Liu confronted them, he demanded they return the stolen items. The suspects, however, denied any wrongdoing, claiming they were merely about to toss the goods into their trunk when they noticed him. They insisted that was the sole reason for having the bags in their vehicle.
In a bid to hold them accountable, Mr. Liu threatened to call the police if they didn’t exit the car. This prompted the driver to lift her skirt and expose herself, a shocking maneuver that caught him off guard. “It was such a repulsive act that it deterred me from approaching to reclaim the items,” he recounted. “I was concerned that if I tried to retrieve what was stolen, they might accuse me of something more serious.”
As tensions rose, the other women in the car began mimicking the driver’s actions, mocking Mr. Liu in the process. Surveillance footage showed the car doors open while he stood next to the vehicle, and the suspects attempted to maneuver their car to shove him aside. One of the women in the back then punched him in the shoulder, which spurred the driver to accelerate and flee toward Monrovia, leaving the doors ajar.
Mr. Liu described the suspects as two younger women in their twenties and two older women in their forties or fifties. “They were all dressed in floral dresses, with their hair styled in updos, giving off a Gypsy vibe,” he observed. The getaway vehicle was identified as a white Toyota with the license plate number 7MJD092.
Police arrived on the scene within four to five minutes; however, the thieves had already escaped. Armed with ample video and photographic evidence, the store owner remains hopeful that law enforcement will locate these audacious criminals. As of now, no updates have emerged from the authorities. Meanwhile, residents of Arcadia have reported seeing these women around town, suggesting they may be recurrent offenders, and they are urging everyone to stay vigilant regarding their belongings.
