Video shows local store manager berating suspected shoplifter

Businesses located along the shopping avenue have been the target of several thefts over the past year

By Zach Armstrong

A now-viral video shows a local store manager getting angry at a suspected shoplifter.

Footage captures the moment Amber Jolly, manager of a Gramercy Boutique store at 14th Street and Montana Avenue, confronted an individual who claimed to have shoplifted a tote bag full of clothing . In the video, Jolly can be heard shouting “Give me my jacket right now!” and “Don’t steal from my fucking store!” to the alleged thief.

“What convinced me is I know the owner works very hard to keep this business open.” Jolly said in an interview with local news station KCAL News. “Businesses are closing everywhere because of all the looting. The system is broken. Nothing is being done about it. »

According to KCAL, SMPD did not immediately confirm that a police report had been issued about the incident and that the store owner had told Jolly that his confrontational behavior was unnecessary.

Businesses along busy Montana Avenue in Santa Monica have been the target of several thefts over the past year.

In September 2023, weeks before a suspect pointed a gun at employees and robbed the First Citizens Bank store on a tree-lined street, three restaurants on Montana Avenue were robbed by thieves. suspects described as wearing ski masks and fleeing in the dark. -colorful sedan. Thieves smashed windows at all three establishments, including frozen yogurt franchise Pinkberry and Bardonna Coffee, while vegan restaurant Margo's was also robbed of several thousand dollars in cash.
The video can be viewed on