Two Gangs of Takeover Robbers Sought in Thefts of Spandex

Los Angeles police said Thursday that they are looking for two gangs of takeover robbers who have hit a dozen or more textile warehouses in the central Los Angeles area in the last year, stealing more than $2 million worth of Lycra--a popular synthetic fiber produced by the Dupont Co. and used in a wide variety of clothes.

The thieves, who take only Lycra, typically strike at night, entering warehouses at gunpoint, herding employees together, tying them up and in some cases gagging them, detectives said. None of the victims has been seriously hurt.

One group of thieves brings its own tractor-trailer to carry off the fabric, known generically as spandex. Another brings a U-Haul truck, detectives said.

The thieves have been striking warehouses an average of once a month for the last 11 months in the Police Department’s Newton Division--an area bounded roughly by the Harbor Freeway, Washington Boulevard and Florence Avenue. In addition, the detectives said the thieves have struck in nearby Vernon and in Gardena.

Police placed the largest single loss at $1.5 million.

Detectives speculated that the robbers, who wear ski masks, are reselling the Lycra to other businesses that supply Los Angeles area garment manufacturers.

Police said the robbers have taken as much as an hour or two to load 25-pound rolls of the fabric, which wholesales for $15 per pound, onto their trucks.

Lt. Jim Grayson of the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division said police are searching for two gangs, possibly connected, consisting of five to eight Latino males--at least some of whom are “familiar with the industry and more than likely worked in it.”

Grayson said that two would-be Lycra thieves were arrested in late September and charged with robbery when employees of a nearby warehouse noticed unusual activity and called 911. But he said police do not know their connection, if any, to the other rings.

Detectives said that one difficulty they are facing is that all Lycra rolls look alike.

“We have to come up with a way to mark it with ownership,” said Newton Division Det. Mike Bauers.