Walnut Creek: Would-be burglars crash Land Rover through Louis Vuitton store

Police say a responding officer interrupted the break-in at Broadway Plaza early Tuesday.

WALNUT CREEK — A group of would-be burglars crashed through the Louis Vuitton store in Broadway Plaza with another luxury item — a Land Rover — early Tuesday before being scared away by a police officer, authorities said.

Emergency dispatchers got multiple 911 calls around 4:30 a.m. reporting a disturbance at the luxury goods shop in the 1200 block of Broadway Plaza, according to Walnut Creek police.

A responding police officer arrived there and reported seeing about 15 people split between four vehicles “attempting to burglarize the store,” police said.

But the sight of the patrol car apparently sent the group scattering, police said. Other officers began chasing one of the fleeing vehicles onto westbound Highway 24 before ending the pursuit as it approached Orinda and the Caldecott Tunnel, citing safety concerns.

But the group apparently left behind one of their vehicles, a black 2017 Land Rover that police said was reported stolen in Sacramento. That vehicle, which police surmised was used to break through the glass storefront, was impounded and expected to be examined for evidence.

No suspects had been identified as of Tuesday, and the damage estimate to the store was not immediately available. Police said detectives are “in the process of gathering surveillance footage” as part of an investigation into the burglary.