Suspected ‘Shade Snatchers’ linked to more than $2.6 million in stolen eyewear arrested

Members of a sophisticated burglary crew suspected of executing a series of smash-and-grab retail burglaries that netted more than $2.6 million in stolen goods this year have been arrested, the Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday.

Three adults and three minors were arrested in connection with the burglaries at high-end eyewear and sunglass shops throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties, the statement said.

From February to July, the suspects known to police as “the Shade Snatchers” hit shops in Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Venice, Newport Beach, La Jolla, Pasadena, Beverly Hills and Studio City, according to police. During an April 1 burglary at Good See Co. in Venice, the suspects allegedly walked away with $800,000 in goods. At a Hall of Frames Inc. in Los Angeles on Feb. 9, the suspects are accused of taking more than $300,000 in merchandise.

At least 20 incidents have been linked to the group, authorities say.

The LAPD’s organized retail task force and gang and narcotics unit worked with local police agencies, including in Newport Beach, Pasadena, Alhambra, Beverly Hills and San Diego. According to detectives, the crew followed a similar pattern during the burglaries.

Using stolen vehicles, usually older SUVs or pickup trucks, burglars crashed through storefronts during early morning hours. Carrying laundry baskets or storage bins, they would rush in to grab designer eyewear, handbags and other merchandise before fleeing in coordinated convoys of vehicles.

In all, officials suspect the crew took about $2.68 million in stolen goods and caused nearly $500,000 in property damage, according to the statement.

Several vehicles used appeared to have been taken from South Los Angeles neighborhoods hours before the burglaries, and some vehicles that picked up the suspects were seen in multiple crime scenes. Police used surveillance footage and other forensic evidence to help link similar vehicles to the crew.

Police identified three primary adult suspects: Phillip T. Harris, 37, of Bellflower, Orlando D. Neal, 37, of Los Angeles and Rasheed Reed, 25, of Compton.

The three minors who were arrested were not identified.

Authorities filed 26 counts of burglary and grand theft along with firearm-related charges against the suspects. Police still are working to identify additional suspects.