Gangs of brazen teen robbers ransack three 7-Eleven stores in Hollywood on same day Gavin Newsom pledged crackdown on ‘smash and grabs’
Brazen thieves on bicycles plundered three 7-Eleven stores in half an hour, striking and taking everything they could carry.
Shocking surveillance footage showed about 20 robbers entering the Hollywood stores and stealing food, drinks, cigarettes and other items from the shelves.
The staff could watch helplessly as their supermarkets were looted and even had all kinds of things thrown at them.
The thieves also jumped over the counter to steal the goods behind it and pointlessly vandalised the store by knocking over cash registers and screens.
Brazen thieves on bicycles robbed three 7-Eleven branches in half an hour, forcing their way in and taking everything they could carry
Workers clean up broken glass after one of three robberies
The raids, each lasting only a few minutes, began at 8:02 p.m. Friday, when the store at 7040 West Sunset Boulevard was targeted, police said.
Just 14 minutes later, another store near Hollywood and Highland was raided, with a store employee being assaulted in the chaos.
The third home to be hit was 5700 Santa Monica Boulevard at 8:22 p.m.
Police could not confirm whether the three suspects were related, but they all had the same strategy: they smashed windows and fled on bicycles.
The Friday night before, another 7-Eleven was robbed by an equally large crowd, also on bicycles, on Olympic Boulevard in Pico-Robertson, Los Angeles.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed 10 bills into law Friday that would increase sentences for shoplifters, muggers, burglars and car thieves.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed 10 bills into law on Friday that would increase sentences for shoplifters, muggers, burglars and car thieves.
One of the laws allowed police to add up the amount of property stolen in separate robberies by the same person, even in different counties, thus reaching the $950 threshold for grand theft.
Other laws make it easier to take action against resellers of stolen goods.
“Some are trying to take us back to the ineffective and costly policies of the past, but these new laws offer a better way forward,” Newsom said.
“Making our communities safer and providing meaningful tools that enable law enforcement to apprehend and hold criminals accountable.”