$50,000 in handbags stolen from The RealReal, authorities say

Possible links between the incident and similar thefts being explored

PALO ALTO >> A group of people took more than $50,000 worth of handbags from a store in Palo Alto on Monday, the third such theft since May, authorities said.

The incident was reported just before 6 p.m. at The RealReal at 379 University Ave., Palo Alto police said in a news release. The thieves were gone by the time officers arrived.

Police said an investigation revealed that five people entered the store and started ripping handbags from security cables. A security officer tried to block them from leaving but they pushed him out of the way.

When he followed them out of the store, he ran into two additional people, one of whom told the other to “pull the gun.” That person in turn told the security officer, “Don’t make me pull the gun.”

The security officer did not see a weapon, police said, and no injuries were reported.

All seven people ran east on University Avenue, and the security officer told police he heard the sound of screeching tires from vehicles on Waverley Street.

Store employees estimated the thieves stole about 20 handbags worth more than $50,000.

The thieves last were seen wearing face coverings and hooded clothing with the hoods up. Police said they would not release surveillance images of the theft “as the footage would not aid in the identification of the suspects.”

Authorities are exploring possible links between this purse stealing and similar thefts from stores at Stanford Shopping Center on May 19 and June 7. In those, a group of people took tens of thousands of dollars worth of handbags and escaped in vehicles.

Anyone with information related to the cases can contact the police department at 650-329-2413. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text 650-383-8984 or email paloalto@tipnow.org.