More than 20 Korean-owned clothing stores located in the Fashion District of downtown Los Angeles have been victims of an organized theft operation. The thieves broke into the first floor of the building, moving through the walls, and made off with cash, computers, clothing, and other valuables from the stores.

The affected business owners, most of whom operate wholesale businesses in the building, expressed their frustration over the significant damage they suffered, particularly because the police appear to show no interest in investigating the crimes.

According to reports from Korean business owners, including a 50-year-old named Mr. Hyun who operates a clothing wholesale business, the incidents occurred on the 25th and 26th of the month. The thieves first attempted their crime at 1 AM on the 25th. After receiving an alarm notification from the security company, the business owner reported the incident to the police, who arrived after the thieves had already fled. Later, at around 3 AM, the thieves returned to another business in the same building. This time, the owner also contacted the police, but the thieves managed to escape once again. The crime spree didn’t end there. On the morning of the 26th, the thieves re-entered the building, broke through the walls between businesses, and moved freely through more than 20 stores.

During the break-in on the 26th, the alarm didn’t even go off, indicating that the thieves had taken measures to disable it. They stole anything of value, including cash, checks, clothing, and computers. The business owners who arrived at their stores on Monday morning were shocked to find their walls breached and their stores in chaos.

When the business owners attempted to report the incident to the police, they faced further difficulties. Upon calling 911 to explain the situation, they were redirected to the local police station as the incident was not deemed an emergency. However, despite their repeated attempts, they were unable to get through to the local police. Desperate, the owners flagged down a patrolling officer and were finally able to file a report.

However, the police response was lukewarm. Mr. Hyun, who reported the incident, mentioned that this was the second time his business had been targeted this year. He recalled that during the first incident, he contacted the police in the morning but was only informed later in the day that they would respond.

Mr. Hyun expressed his frustration, stating, “The scale of the damage is significant, and the affected business owners haven’t even fully assessed their losses. Yet, the police seem completely disinterested in investigating the matter. The thieves are becoming bolder, and if the police continue to respond so slowly and indifferently, these crimes will only keep happening.”

By Hwang Eui-kyung, Reporter

<Hwang, Eui-kyung>