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4 arrested on suspicion of organized retail theft, stole $50,000 lululemon merchandise

2 mins read

Palo Alto Police Department arrested 4 people under suspicion of organized retail theft Sunday evening. 

Shortly after 6 p.m. on Sunday, a dispatch center received a call from a lululemon store staff in Stanford Shopping Center at 180 Camino Real. Once officers arrived, they found and detained 4 suspects. Officers located approximately 100 pairs of leggings, valued at around $12,000. 

An investigation shows that there were originally 5 suspects who entered the store. A blue 2007 Hyundai Entourage was found in the parking lot and is believed to be the suspect’s vehicle. Multiple garbage bags full of items were found inside the vehicle. 

The 5th suspect is still at large. 

This is the fifth suspect in the thefts. (Courtesy of City of Palo Alto)

The asset-protection team at lululemon determined that the bag contained 300 pieces of clothing, valued at about $38,000. The same suspects reportedly stole the merchandise from different lululemon stores in Burlingame and San Mateo.

3 adults suspects were booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail, including Florentina Izabela Matei, 20, Ionut Grafi Dumitru, 18, and Elvira Fistogeanu, 22. They were booked on charges of felony organized retail theft, possession of stolen property, and felony conspiracy. 

Florentina Izabela Matei, Ionut Grafi Dumitru, and Elvira Fistogeanu (Courtesy of City of Palo Alto)

The fourth suspect was a 16-year-old girl from Sacramento. She was transported to the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall for the same charges. 

At this time, police do not believe this is connected to other crimes in Palo Alto. If you have information about this incident, including anything about the identity of the fifth suspect, you are asked to call the 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to (650) 383-8984.

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