Police in Seal Beach, California, released a hilarious video Sunday showing a pair of downcast, handcuffed females sitting in a police cruiser lamenting “new laws” in the state for shoplifting.
With Nancy Sinatra’s iconic “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” playing in the background, the Instagram video shows surveillance clips recorded Dec. 4 of three females entering an Ulta Beauty store and soon after exiting with bags full of merchandise that police valued at $648, KTLA-TV reported. While the video indeed indicates a figure of $648, a police news release says the total was “an estimated $1,635.24 worth of merchandise.”
‘And this is Orange County, bitch. They don’t play.’
The video cuts to other clips of the same three females entering a Kohl’s department store where they allegedly took more goods, the station said. The police video appears to indicate the value of the merchandise was nearly $1,200.
The video then transitions to police chasing down the suspects in a parking lot and arresting them.
Image source: Seal Beach (Calif.) Police Department
Image source: Seal Beach (Calif.) Police Department
The best part, though, is the recorded exchange between two of the suspects in the back of a patrol car.
“It’s a felony?” one of the females asks the female seated next to her.
Image source: Seal Beach (Calif.) Police Department
“Bitch, new laws,” the second female replies. “Stealing is a felony.”
Image source: Seal Beach (Calif.) Police Department
Image source: Seal Beach (Calif.) Police Department
The second female continues, “And this is Orange County, bitch. They don’t play.”
Image source: Seal Beach (Calif.) Police Department
You can view the full police video here.
Police said in the news release that the suspects have been identified as Destiny Bender and Deanna Hines — both 24 years old and from Long Beach — as well as Michelle Pitts, 26, of Signal Hill. Police said all three were booked into the Orange County Jail on charges of grand theft, conspiracy to commit a crime, and resisting arrest.
“Proposition 36, which voters approved in November 2024, creates stricter penalties for organized theft and expands law enforcement capabilities to combat repeat offenders,” police said in a news release. “Specifically, it permits felony charges for petty theft with prior convictions, allows aggregating the value of stolen goods from multiple thefts to meet the $950 felony threshold, and introduces enhancements for theft crimes involving two or more offenders acting in concert.”
As Blaze News previously reported, Californians voted overwhelmingly Nov. 5 to pass Proposition 36, otherwise known as the Drug and Theft Crime Penalties and Treatment-Mandated Felonies Initiative. It’s a pushback against Proposition 47, which passed a decade ago and said thefts of items worth under $950 could not be prosecuted as a felonies, effectively allowing thieves to smash-and-grab their way through drug and big-box stores with little more than a slap on the wrist.
Anything else?
Proposition 36 took effect Dec. 18 — but the arrest of the three aforementioned females took place Dec. 4. Blaze News on Thursday reached out to Seal Beach Police for a clarification on the date differences as it pertains to the video’s connection to Proposition 36 and one of the suspects noting “new laws.” Police replied to Blaze News with the news release, which doesn’t address the date differences but notes that the video is “part of the department’s ‘Don’t Steal in Seal’ social media campaign” and “serves as an educational tool on the updated theft-related laws in California.”
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Proposition 36, California, Seal beach police, Dashcam video, Shoplifting suspects, Crime