California, USA — Three women were arrested in Seal Beach after allegedly stealing nearly $1,650 worth of merchandise, unaware that a new law had turned their actions into a felony.
The Seal Beach Police Department released a viral video on Sunday showing the trio entering an Ulta Beauty store, browsing the shelves, and leaving with stolen items worth nearly $650. The women were later seen in surveillance footage at a Kohl’s store, where they allegedly stole additional goods, bringing the total theft to nearly $1,000.
Police officers gave chase and eventually arrested the women, identified as Destiny Bender, 24, and Deanna Hines, 24, both from Long Beach, and Michelle Pitts, 26, from Signal Hill. Bodycam footage from the arrest shows one of the women expressing shock when realizing the consequences of their actions.
“It’s a felony?” one of the women asks, to which another responds, “B—h, new laws. Stealing is a felony, and this Orange County… they don’t play.”
The women were booked into the Orange County Jail on charges of Grand Theft, Conspiracy to Commit a Crime, and Resisting Arrest.
In a social media post accompanying the video, the Seal Beach Police Department issued a reminder of the recent change in California law. “Proposition 36, which increases punishments for some retail theft and drug possession offenses, went into effect Wednesday morning,” the post read.
Proposition 36, which was passed in California, reverses certain aspects of Proposition 47, a 2014 measure that downgraded theft crimes to misdemeanors if the value of stolen goods was under $950. With the passage of Proposition 36, some theft offenses are now felonies again, aiming to curb the rise in retail crime.
The Seal Beach Police Department expressed their commitment to tackling organized retail theft, noting the impact of the new law: “This new proposition only strengthens our commitment to combating Organized Retail Theft,” they said, adding a lighthearted reminder: “Remember folks, don’t steal in Seal.”