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Police Probe Thanksgiving Ram-Raid on LA Barbershop as Search for Stolen Shop Cat Continues

Detectives are reviewing surveillance after identifying a pickup’s license plate.

Overview

  • In South Los Angeles around 2:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving, three masked suspects used a beige Toyota pickup to smash into LA Fresh Cuts on the 1800 block of East Florence Avenue.
  • Surveillance video shows the burglars grabbing barber tools, inventory, cash for a fantasy football pool, and the shop’s Savannah cat, Simba, who was taken in a kennel.
  • The owner, Joe Gomez, estimates roughly $14,000 in combined theft and damage to the barbershop.
  • Investigators recovered the truck’s license plate from the footage and are pursuing leads, and no arrests have been publicly announced.
  • A private investigator, retired detective Moses Castillo, is also working leads tied to the plate according to the owner, who has launched a GoFundMe with a $4,000 goal and reported more than $1,700 raised as of Tuesday.