Trio arrested, duo escapes after organized retail thefts at Stanford Shopping Center

Palo Alto police reported two separate incidents of organized retail theft at Stanford Shopping Center — one that landed three men in jail, and another with two suspects still at large.

Police said around 5:42 p.m. Tuesday, a trio of men took five Coach handbags, valued at $1,180, from the Macy’s store at the shopping center. The store’s security alarms activated as the men fled the store. Macy’s staff were not able to stop the suspects, and they called the police. An officer went to Macy’s to take a report and view their security footage.

The men were detained by Nordstrom loss prevention staff — at the same shopping center — around 6:22 p.m.; they had allegedly tried to leave the store with over $800 worth of cologne. Police said they determined that it was the same group that stole the handbags from Macy’s.

After officers located the men’s car in the parking lot, they found four of the five stolen bags in the car, along with other handbags, bedding and clothing. Palo Alto police said the investigating officers were still working to identify the stores from which the other merchandise may have been taken.

The three men — all San Francisco residents, in their 20s and 30s, police said — were booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of organized retail theft, police said. One of the men was also charged on suspicion of having a fake ID. Another man had an outstanding arrest warrant related to a theft charge.