Luxury stores have been the victims of the wave of lightning robberies in the United States.

Nordstrom Shoplifting Alert With "Destroy And Grab" Technique 1:24

(CNN Spanish) - 

"Destroy and grab": this is the

that thieves are using to carry out lightning robberies in multiple luxury stores in the United States. The assaults in recent days have taken place in several cities of the country, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.

Large groups of criminals enter the stores, smash the shelves with hammers and grab all the items they can before fleeing with the loot.

Why so many recent robberies?

Are they related to the holiday season?

Does it have to do with the pandemic?

"This has nothing to do with the pandemic," says Pete Eliadis, a former law enforcement official and founder of the security firm Intelligence Consulting Partners.

"The pandemic is being overused right now."

The decriminalization of low-level crime in some states has created opportunities for criminals to tamper with the system, said Lynda Buel, president of Ohio-based security consultancy SRMC.

• Why Some US Cities Are Facing a Wave of Shoplifting Shoplifting

These are some of the luxury stores that have been victims of these lightning robberies:

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• Nordstrom

• Louis Vuitton

Video captures massive robbery of a Louis Vuitton store in less than a min 2:06

• Burberry

The robbery occurred on Friday the 19th near Union Square in San Francisco.

That same day there were robberies at Bloomingdale's and Walgreens.

• Bloomingdale's

• Walgreens

• Best buy

Best Buy CEO: Rising Theft Is Traumatizing Staff

• Cannabis dispensaries

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