Two accused of taking jacket from Louis Vuitton in Beverly Hills could face felony robbery
Two people were arrested Thursday on suspicion of robbing the Louis Vuitton store in Beverly Hills and pushing past a security guard on their way out, police said.
The incident was reported just after 1:30 p.m. at the shop on Rodeo Drive.
The two suspects entered the store and grabbed a jacket before attempting to escape on foot, officials said. There was no damage to the store.
One suspect was caught near the store, and the other was detained by private security contractors about a block away, police said.
No additional information about the suspects was available Thursday evening.
Producer Will Packer said police were ready to arrest Will Smith after he slapped Chris Rock, but Rock didn’t want to press charges.
Beverly Hills police called the shoplifting incident an “Estes robbery” because the suspects allegedly pushed past a security guard to exit the store. The guard was not injured.
In California, prosecutors can charge an accused shoplifter with felony robbery if they prove the person used “force or fear” to avoid store employees and leave with the merchandise.
The enhancement stems from a precedent set in the 1980s during the case of Curtis Estes, who attempted to shoplift clothing from a store in Vallejo. When he was confronted by a security guard in the parking lot, Estes allegedly threatened to kill the guard and pulled out a knife.
An appeals court ruled that Estes could be charged with robbery.
A bill introduced in the California Legislature intended to prevent charges of robbery in similar cases died without a public vote last year.
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