Woman Sought in Thefts at 7 Yoga Studios

The Police Department is seeking a woman posing as a yoga class student who has stolen wallets from clients at seven Santa Monica studios, some on more than one occasion.

The woman is described as a white woman in her early 30s with short red hair, 5-feet-5 and weighing 135 pounds, said Lt. Gary Gallinot. She reportedly has a scar on her right ear and has been seen driving a black BMW, he added.

She also is suspected of stealing from clients at several other yoga studios in West Los Angeles and Marina del Rey, he said. Studios generally are not equipped with lockers, so students leave their valuables in a common area, he said.

At Santa Monica Yoga on Ocean Park Boulevard, office manager Anne Marie Hallal said the studio has not been victimized, but she has posted signs warning clients to leave their wallets in their cars.

“It’s not the best atmosphere for a yoga studio,” she said.

At Yoga Works on Montana Avenue, Vice President Chuck Miller said clients have been robbed twice.

“She was in a class and left early,” he said, each time rifling through someone’s bag on the way out.