Earlier tonight, May 31, at 7:30pm, a burglary alarm went off at Milpitas’ Great Mall—location: Neiman Marcus. Milpitas Police Department (MPD) officers arrived to see a swarm of people running in and out of the store’s entranceway.
MPD routinely assigns officers to Great Mall duty. This allowed the police to arrive in under 3 minutes, at which point the looters scattered before going too deep into Neiman Marcus or impacting any other stores.
MPD saw no indication of protesting in relation to the murder by police officer Derek Chauvin of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis apprehended on suspicion of using a counterfeit 20-dollar bill. The racially charged murder has in recent days led to protests and been tied to rioting and looting nationwide.
In a press release put out immediately following the incident, MPD wrote, “The Milpitas Police Department will have Officers assigned to the Great Mall, strip malls, and other commercial areas to deter them from being targeted by thieves. Plus, we will have our Officers continue to respond to calls for service and safeguard our community.”
The Milpitas Beat turned up on the scene after the looters had fled. Out in front of Neiman Marcus was a pile of clothing, assorted footwear, and a good deal of broken glass.
Police have thus far made no arrests.
