Shocking moment mob ransacks a gas station store and steals thousands of dollars worth of products
A massive mob ransacked a Los Angeles gas station and stole thousands of dollars worth of alcohol, condoms and snacks during an illegal street takeover — because police said they couldn’t intervene because they were outnumbered.
Footage from around 2 a.m. Sunday showed a group stopping traffic at the Compton intersection of Alondra Boulevard and Central Avenue to drift their cars before charging into a nearby Arco.
Deputies said they could not intervene because a mob of about 100 people broke and wiped the windows of a small supermarket because they were outnumbered.
Those involved appeared to be mostly men in face coverings and were seen holding onto thousands of dollars worth of goods before all running in different directions.
The store clerk locked herself in the restroom of the mini-mart until the scene cleared.
A mob of about 100 people looted an Arco mini-mart in Compton on Sunday. Police said they could not intervene because they were outnumbered
Footage from around 2 a.m. Sunday showed a group stopping traffic at the Compton intersection of Alondra Boulevard and Central Avenue to drift their cars before charging into a nearby Arco.
Police said the street takeover was one of three that took place in Compton. Only one arrest has been made, but the cause is unclear.
Another massive takeover involving street racers took place on Long Beach Boulevard and Rosecrans Avenue. Police said a total of 500 people were involved in both illegal events.
As with the ARCO mini-mart incident, the Long Beach Boulevard takeover ended with vandalism and looting. According to the police, a laundromat has been broken into.
While the ages of the group were revealed, footage from the night showed grinning youths smiling as they plucked condoms from the displays, clearly unafraid of getting caught.
Compton residents were outraged by the incidents they believed were committed by outsiders.
“I don’t think the people who did this are Compton residents,” Kevin Evans said ABC 7. “We don’t tear up our own city like that.”
Compton City Councilman Jonathan Bowers reiterated his horror and belief that the chaos was not caused by city residents. He called the criminals ‘children’.
“It absolutely disgusts me,” Bowers told the news outlet. “I’m just upside down behind this. These kids come into our town and just destroy it like that.
“I don’t think the city has done enough to address this problem. There are other alternatives and ways to deal with this and I feel like we’ve put it on the back burner and we’re dragging along as this thing gets worse.”
Some residents said they passed the chaos and saw parents with their small children enjoying drifting in the street.
“It makes me mad,” Norrice Heron said KTLA5. “It makes me angry when they do that in the street and endanger everyone.”
The brutal group stole goods worth thousands of dollars before fleeing. In the photo: a man who steals condoms
A group of people stand around Compton’s mini-mart before storming inside
You can see the thieves shoving each other shoulder to shoulder to get into the mini mart
A broken door window can be seen at the mini-mart as the group prepared to burst in
Tire debris, debris and skid marks could be seen on the street the next morning
The brutal incident comes after Proposition 47 was passed in California in 2014, meaning property theft was reduced from a misdemeanor to a misdemeanor.
The law, intended to comply with a California Supreme Court order to reduce prison overcrowding, raised the threshold for felony theft from $400 to $950.
Two or more people who conspire to “defraud and defraud any person or property, in any way that is criminal in themselves,” could face as little as one year in prison, a $10,000 fine, or a combination of the two.
Progressive prosecutor George Gascón, who is soft-on-crime, has been criticized for his policies that other politicians say “weakens” their laws.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring city of Los Angeles, Mayor Karen Brass tries to lower the bar for new police recruits to increase the number of officers in the decommissioned Los Angeles Police Department as crime is rampant.
To achieve this, Bass plans to hire a third party to investigate why some recruits fail in hopes of eliminating certain qualifications, according to Fox news.
The mayor’s goal of diversifying the precinct and lowering qualifications has been deemed “dangerous” by LAPD union leaders, as some aspiring officers are extremely unqualified for the job.
In addition to looking for ways to increase recruits, Bass also plans to eliminate “officers associated with right-wing domestic extremist organizations.”
Crime in the city of Los Angeles is steadily increasing with 26,552 reported property crime incidents including burglaries, motor vehicle theft and personal theft in 2021.
There have been 7,325 reported violent crimes so far this year, including murder, rape, aggravated assault and robbery.
A total of 15,721 arrests have been made.