Flash Mob Robbery Trend Soared in 2023 Fueled by Social Media: ‘Organized Retail Crime’

It's a scene that has played out in retail stores across the U.S. scores of times in 2023: Hordes of looters running in and out of shops, grabbing everything they can and then scattering before anyone can stop them.

Many of the thieves, who can hide in the anonymity of the crowd, never even face consequences for these flash-mob robberies — though the mass robberies sometimes turn violent.

In Los Angeles over the summer, dozens of masked thieves orchestrated a smash-and-grab heist at Nordstrom in the Topanga Mall, leaving behind a trail of broken glass and strewn mannequins while hauling off an estimated $100,000 worth of merchandise.

Philadelphia's historic Center City was paralyzed over several nights in September as social media-fueled mass looting targeted liquor stores and retail shops like Foot Locker, Lululemon and Apple.

More than 70 arrests were made, and business owners are still recovering from damages and lost merchandise.

While there isn't specific data on flash mob robberies, industry experts have seen an uptick of these incidents in 2023 year and predict that the trend will continue in the new year, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF), the nation's largest retail trade association.

The NRF considers flash mob robbery as "organized retail crime," which is rising, according to the group's analysis.

"Retail theft is not a victimless crime. It impacts jobs, consumers and communities in several ways," David Johnston, vice president of asset protection and retail operations for the NRF, testified to Congress this month.

"Increased violence involving theft has caused injury to employees and consumers, the unfortunate death of some retail associates, and a fear of working or shopping in high-crime locations," he said.

"This makes it difficult for retailers to retain or find labor to support consumers."

The group estimates that this type of looting costs companies roughly $700,000 for every $1 billion in sales.

What drives flash mob robberies?

These types of robberies often hatch online by young people who put out a call out for others to join in the looting, Drew Neckar, president of Security Advisors Consulting Group, told The Messenger. 

"Social media and a constant cycle of knowing what's happening elsewhere hits TikTok and other platforms, and people may see it and think, 'why aren’t we doing that?’” he said.

Committing crime in a group gives the perception that participants can hide in large numbers and that the chances of being caught afterwards are low because a majority of large retailers are telling staff not to stop mobs of shoplifters for fear of injury or death during these sometimes violent intrusions, Neckar added.

Despite the difficulty in apprehending looters, law enforcement in many cities have undertaken concerted efforts to stop flash mobs of robbers from having their way.

The Sacramento Sheriff's Office coordinated its first major retail theft sting in the busy shopping month of December, dispatching 50 undercover deputies for one week in 12 major stores in the county, including Target, Walmart, Ulta and Walgreens. 

Under “Operation Bad Elf" the office counted 285 theft arrests over seven days.

"We're tired of it, the public is tired of it, this is a big issue," Sheriff Jim Cooper at a media conference. "These people just go out and steal, not because of need, [but] because they can and they won't get in trouble."

But for Neckar, flash mob robberies and other types of thefts reflect an increasing economic divide as these robberies tend to occur in affluent shopping districts within driving distance of low-income and high-crime areas, he said.

Ultimately, though, these crimes as well as other thefts hurt communities because when stores close, there's a loss of jobs.

And with limited police resources, "if you're concentrating on preventing retail crime in high dollar shopping areas, what's happening in the other neighborhoods?” he continued.

More shocking flash mob robberies in 2023

A two-day September crime spree in Philadelphia started as a "coordinated attack" on dozens of stores across the city, including Foot Locker, Lululemon and Apple.

The looting followed peaceful protests over a judge's decision to dismiss murder and other charges against a Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver Eddie Irizarry.

Seventy-two people have been charged in connection to the looting, with more arrests still expected.

At least 30 suspects orchestrated a heist on an Yves Saint Laurent store in Glendale, Calif., in August, making off with about $300,000 in merchandise before fleeing in several cars.

Dressed in hoods and masks, the flash mob robbers descended on the upscale Americana at Brand shopping center in broad daylight.

Video appeared to show bystanders, including an Amazon worker, attempting to fight burglars in the streets.

Days later, a group of thieves in black hooded sweatshirts and masks stole $100,000 worth of goods from another Southern California luxury shop, the Gucci store in Costa Mesa.

A flash mob of up to 400 teens erupted into chaos over the summer at a northern California mall, where lotting, vandalism and fights were reported.

It ended when gunshots rang out at the outdoor Bay Street Mall in Emeryville, causing many in the crowd to flee in panic.

One person was stabbed during the bedlam.

Police said that the gathering was coordinated via social media and promoted on several platforms.

In November, more than a dozen robbers — four girls and thirteen boys, all between the ages of 15 and 20, police said — were caught on camera ransacking a Los Angeles-area Nike store.

Customers watched as the thieves stole armfuls of merchandise from the shelves of the athletic store in the Watts neighborhood before they fled the scene in multiple vehicles.

A security guard opened fire on Dec. 17 after at least six suspects ransacked a Washington D.C. Chanel store — the scene of a separate flash mob robbery that happened in February.

One of the suspects used a fire extinguisher as a weapon, police said, before the thieves stole an "undetermined amount of merchandise."

No injuries were reported.

In February, 15 masked and hooded suspects robbed the same Chanel store and also used a fire extinguisher to create chaos before swiping handbags and other merchandise.

Dozens of suspects robbed two Memphis gas stations last month, stealing more than $17,000 worth of merchandise.

One by one police said the suspects grabbed goods from one store, including snacks, drinks and alcohol.

The thieves then hit another gas station 90 minutes later.

“It was a bunch of them that came in the same cars. They just break the pumps,” the Exxon gas station owner told Fox13.

"I just can’t believe why they did this. They come inside the store and damage all our stuff."