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Police in California released a video of a trio of alleged shoplifters who were shocked to learn that the sentence for their crime had recently been commuted.
In a viral surveillance video shared by the Seal Beach Police Department on Sunday, three women can be seen walking into an Ulta Beauty store, browsing the shelves, then casually exiting the store with what police said was nearly $650 worth value of stolen goods.
“… a friendly reminder that Proposition 36, which toughens the penalties for some retail theft and drug possession offenses, went into effect Wednesday morning in California,” Seal Beach Police Department they wrote in the title of the video on their Instagram profile.
The video shows the women entering another business and allegedly stealing more merchandise, totaling nearly $1,000 in stolen merchandise.
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An alleged shoplifter was shocked to learn that some shoplifting offenses in California are now a felony. (Seal Beach Police)
Body camera footage then shows officers chasing the women and eventually arresting them.
“That’s a felony?” one of the women asks the other in the back of the patrol car.
“B—h new laws,” the woman replies. “Stealing is a felony and this Orange County b–h. They don’t play around.”
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The women were caught on camera stealing merchandise from several California businesses, police said. (Seal Beach Police)
Police shared a friendly reminder with the video.
“It reverses some of the changes voters made in a 2014 ballot measure that turned certain non-violent felonies into misdemeanors, effectively shortening prison sentences and leading to an increase in theft and retail crime,” police said. “We’ve never believed in the read and release program here in Seal Beach, but this new proposal only strengthens our commitment to fighting organized retail theft. Remember folks, don’t steal in Seal.”
Proposition 36, the Homelessness, Drug Addiction and Theft Reduction Act, sought to undo parts of Proposition 47 by increasing penalties for some crimes. It passed overwhelmingly in California, reversing some soft-crime policies backed by billionaire George Soros.
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The alleged thieves were shocked to learn they could be charged with felony theft. (Seal Beach Police)
When Proposition 47 passed in 2014, it downgraded most thefts from felonies to misdemeanors if the amount stolen is less than $950, “unless the defendant has a prior conviction for murder, rape, certain sexual offenses, or certain crimes with weapons.”
Progressive Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón, backed by Soros, helped author Proposition 47 and lost his seat to challenger Nathan Hochman in November.
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom remained staunchly opposed to efforts to repeal parts of Proposition 47, saying it “takes us back to the 1980s, mass incarceration.”
Fox News Digital’s Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Tips and story ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
