Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies say they have finally caught up with an alleged serial shoplifter who kept hitting the same West Hollywood Ulta Beauty store, capping a local investigation into a string of repeat thefts at the busy shopping center. The suspect was taken into custody on Saturday, and officials say detectives are still piecing together evidence as the case moves forward.
According to CBS Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department arrested the alleged serial thief after investigators tied the person to multiple thefts at the West Hollywood Ulta. The outlet reported that the department released an account of the arrest, but the initial TV segment did not provide the suspect’s name or booking details.
The arrest lands in the middle of a larger countywide push against so-called booster crews and the networks that flip stolen goods for quick cash. In a recent multi-location operation, the Sheriff’s Organized Retail Crimes Task Force recovered an estimated $4 million in merchandise believed to have been stolen from major chains such as Target, Macy’s, and Ulta, ABC7 reported. Separately, the Los Angeles Times has detailed how task force teams use plainclothes operations and so-called blitz moves, tailing suspected thieves to alleged fences and storage locations.
Where It Happened
The Ulta at the center of the case sits on the second floor of the West Hollywood Gateway shopping center at 7100 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 210, according to the retailer’s store listing. The sprawling complex, which also includes a Target, has been on law enforcement’s radar for some time…