14 arrested over L.A. smash-and-grab thefts, but all released as leaders call for end to COVID no-bail policy

Los Angeles — Authorities in Los Angeles on Thursday announced more than a dozen arrests in recent smash-and-grab thefts at stores where nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen, part of a rash of organized retail crime in California. Fourteen people were arrested in connection with 11 brazen robberies between November 18 and 28, but all were released from custody, police Chief Michel Moore said. Most bailed out or met no-bail criteria, and one is a juvenile, he said.   At a joint news conference, both Moore and Mayor Eric Garcetti called for an end to a no-bail policy for some defendants aimed at reducing overcrowding at Los Angeles County jails during the coronavirus pandemic.

Garcetti said with the pandemic easing, it's time to make room again in lockups for criminals who commit violent acts and put store employees in danger.   "We need the help of our criminal justice system, of our judges, of our jailers," Garcetti said. "We have opened up a lot of the city because we're in a better place with COVID. We should be able to also open up our jails, and we should be able to have judges that put people behind those bars."   A statewide policy of imposing $0 bail for misdemeanors and lower-level felonies ended last year, but it was kept in place within the LA County Superior Court system.

Moore said at least $338,000 in goods were stolen over ten days from stores and malls across the city that incurred $40,000 in property damage. Investigators are searching for multiple outstanding suspects, he said.