Police: Thieves steal $13,000 worth of clothing from American Eagle Outfitters outlet in Petaluma

Petaluma police are searching for several suspects they say were involved in two robberies at American Eagle Outfitters outlet store this month, using large garbage bags in both incidents to steal a combined $13,000 in clothing, authorities said.

Police think the robberies are linked based on the approach used by the suspects. Escape vehicles were linked to Oakland addresses.

In the most recent incident Sunday night, a store manager who tried to stop the theft was elbowed in the face by a fleeing suspect who threatened to kill her, Petaluma Police Lt. Tim Lyons said.

The suspect, a woman who police described to be in her mid-30s, wearing black sweatpants and a black sweatshirt, ran with two accomplices toward a 2007 black Infiniti sedan, Lyons said. One was a female wearing a black sweatshirt and tan-colored pants and the other was a male wearing an orange sweatshirt, he said. A fourth unidentified suspect drove the Infiniti.

On Jan. 4, five females, three of whom wore hoods to cover their heads, took 100 pairs of jeans and 30 sweaters valued at about $7,400, Lyons said.

Surveillance footage showed the suspects drove off in a 2016 Chevy sedan, he said. A concerned citizen followed the women to the vehicle to obtain license plate information. Authorities urged anyone with information to call the Petaluma Police Department at 707-778-4373.

You can reach Staff Writer Yousef Baig at 707-521-5390 or yousef.baig@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @YousefBaig.