Moment thieves snatch $30,000 worth of Labubu dolls in shop break-in
Thieves broke into a California shop and made off with $30,000 worth of the latest viral collectible item – Labubu dolls.
Three hooded individuals were captured on CCTV breaking into a small resale shop stocked with the plush toy monster elves that even celebrities are buying and hanging on their handbags.
A nearly minute-and-a-half-long video shared on Instagram by One Stop Sales shows the suspects entering the closed store, using flashlights and grabbing boxes from all over.
'Today we got robbed, and they took all of our inventory trashed our store , we are still in shock,' wrote One Stop Sales on the post on Wednesday.
'If you guys can share this post please and help us find these thief's.'
The suspects busted through the front door of the store, which opened in La Puente just two months ago, shortly after 2am.
One Stop Sales co-owner Joanna Avendano said she had a 'gut feeling to check my phone'.
'Once I checked my phone, I saw there was motion, a sound that was coming through the front,' she told KABC.
'I was watching everything, from when they got in, what they were taking. I was panicking because I was just… I couldn't do anything.'
The thieves took Labubu dolls specifically, leaving behind other items, electronics and even cash.
'There was a lot taken, maybe like around $30,000 or more of inventory,' Avendano said.
'We worked so hard to get to this point, and for them to just come in and, like nothing, take it all away, it's really bad.'
Avendano suspects that the criminals were inside a truck parked near her store at closing time on Tuesday.
The shop had also posted videos of new Labubu dolls in stock in the days before the incident.
Police swooped in and by Thursday and had helped the shop recover some of the items. A storeowner posed next to two deputies with Industry Sheriff's Station and a table stacked with Labubu doll boxes. More Trending
'Case is still under investigation, right now no further comment, will be updating if they find more of our items!' wrote the shop on Instagram.
'@indlasd thank you for your service in helping us out , we appreciate everything! As well as our community that has been helping us as well!'
The Labubu monsters with bunny ears, big eyes and sharp teeth are a blend of a Cabbage Patch Doll and a Gremlin. They have been endorsed by Rihanna, Dua Lipa and Blackpink's Lisa, which has boosted their demand and value.
Labubu dolls have been selling for up to $500 a pop, and one sold for more than $100,000 this month.
The break-in comes just a few weeks after a masked bandit was caught on camera stealing more than $100,000 in rare Pokémon cards from a collectibles store in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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