Ram Raid Incident at Almondvale Shopping Centre
In the early hours, a car was driven through a glass door of Almondvale Shopping Centre in Livingston and subsequently set on fire during a raid targeting a clothing store.
Police are currently searching for four men involved in the break-in, which occurred around 00:15 on the east side of the retail centre.
One suspect used a black Nissan Juke to ram through the glass doors, enabling his masked accomplices to enter the shop and steal several rails of designer clothes, according to Police Scotland.
Details of the Ram Raid
The raid involved two vehicles: a black Nissan Juke and a white Audi S5. Both approached an entrance near the Flannels and Marks and Spencer stores.
The men initially exited the vehicles and smashed an external display window. When they were unable to access the store, one individual re-entered the Nissan Juke and reversed it through a bollard, breaking two sets of glass doors.
All four men then entered the shop and removed rails of designer clothing, which were loaded into the other vehicle.
Escape and Aftermath
After the theft, one of the men set fire to the Nissan Juke before returning to the Audi. The Audi was driven at speed along a pathway towards the road and onto Almondvale Road heading east, a police spokesperson stated.
The Audi was later found on the outskirts of the nearby village of Dechmont, with some of the stolen clothes still inside.
The total value of the stolen clothing has not yet been determined.
Police Response and Appeal
Police described the incident as a "carefully planned operation in which the four suspects had no thought for the safety of others at anytime."
"The suspects were all wearing dark clothing with their faces covered and were armed with a variety of equipment to enable them to break-into the shopping centre and store within."
"It is vital that we trace the men responsible and I urge anyone who has seen the vehicles hanging around the area or has captured them on CCTV or dashcam to contact police immediately."
Detective Inspector Lee Beaumont made these statements as part of the ongoing investigation.
