Flash mob suspects charged in the robbery of Topanga Mall

Three people were charged for allegedly robbing the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center as part of a flash mob that made off with more than $90,000 in merchandise.

Joshua Jones, 22; Amaya McDonald, 19; and Justin Jones, 18, were each charged with three counts of robbery, two counts of burglary and one count of retail theft, the Los Angeles Police Department announced in a news release Tuesday.

On Friday, a dozen people ran into two stores at the mall at around 5 p.m. and grabbed merchandise while knocking over multiple display cases, police said. Several suspects wore hoodies and face masks, according to surveillance images that captured the group running away from the scene. Investigators with the LAPD’s Organized Retail Theft Task Force arrived on the scene to work with local police and mall security to identify potential suspects and vehicles involved in the robbery.

On Aug. 12, 2023, items worth up to $100,000 were stolen in a “flash rob,” known as flash mob robbery, at Nordstrom store, Westfield Topanga Shopping Center in Canoga Park. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, dozens of face-covered suspects flooded the store at about 4 p.m., grabbed items from shelves and displays, and fled.

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Shortly after 9:30 p.m. officers with the LAPD’s Southwest division found and detained one of the vehicles involved in the robbery. Police found five people inside, including two juveniles, believed to be involved in the robbery, according to police. Joshua Jones, Justin Jones, McDonald and the two juveniles were taken into custody by detectives and booked on suspicion of robbery.

Shortly before midnight, Huntington Beach Police officers pulled over another vehicle that matched the description of one of the vehicles involved in the robbery. Officers found stolen merchandise that LAPD detectives verified was taken from the Westfield Topanga Mall. The driver, 26-year-old Rajene Robinson, was arrested on suspicion of felony possession of stolen property, according to authorities.

The three named suspects charged by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors reviewed the case against Robinson and sent it back to law enforcement for further investigation, a district attorney spokesperson said.

All three named suspects are described by prosecutors as being in charge of the flash mob group. The two unnamed minors were also charged in connection to the robbery and are due to appear in court on Wednesday.

Court records show that Joshua Jones was convicted of first-degree robbery in May 2023 in Los Angeles County.

Anyone with information about the case can contact detectives with the LAPD’s Commercial Crimes Division, Organized Retail Crime Section at (818) 374-9437. Videos or information about this incident can be sent to ORC@lapd.online. Anonymous tips can be made with Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.

The robbery follows a string of similar incidents across Southern California over the last several years, where flash mobs storm shopping malls, 7-Eleven convenience stores, and other retail locations.

A separate flash mob robbery at the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center took place in August 2023 when a group of about 50 people robbed the mall’s Nordstrom store. The group coordinated their crime over social media, according to authorities. The group put out a call to organize a “crew” to target specific stores at certain times of day, Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta announced in July when several of the suspects were sentenced to prison.