SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (KNX) — After publishing a photograph of two women who Simi Valley Police said stole a wedding dress, the department issued a retraction Thursday afternoon.
Authorities shared their images on social media, the Internet, and local news television across the L.A. market. Police said it's their "common practice" to "identify people involved in criminal activity."
But the two women featured in the still photograph — depicted as possible suspects — had not stolen the bridal gown. Instead, the owner of Kays Bridal Shop mistakenly gave it to them herself.
Kays' owner called the police Wednesday morning before 10 a.m. to report a wedding dress that had just been stolen. When SVPD officers responded, she gave them surveillance video of the alleged theft. Subsequently, the officer filed a report and published a press release with a screenshot of the two women from the video.
But Thursday afternoon, the two purported suspects called the police and informed them of the business owner's mistake. Police then followed up with the store owner, confirming her mistake and that a theft never occurred.
The two women had been wrongly broadcast as possible thieves despite being there to pick up items they had already purchased.
The Simi Valley Police Department stopped short of offering a public apology.
"It is essential for the community to understand that sometimes after suspected crimes are reported, new information is provided that clarifies an event," the department wrote in a statement. "In this case, the two persons in the photograph have been cleared of any wrongdoing."
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