Los Angeles and other big cities are witnessing a rise in “street takeovers”. Responding to a social media prompt, a mob of cars and people gather at an intersection to raise hell. The police try to stop it but they are often too late.
This was what happened on August 15, when a flash mob arrived at Figueroa Street, El Segundo Boulevard. After causing chaos on the streets for a while, they made their way into a 7-11 store looking like a mob of locusts. In a matter of minutes, they stripped it of all value.
CBSNews:
Lisa Trafton, a neighbor, said that cars were “just going everywhere.” “I looked in the store to buy a pop, but it’s completely trashed,” she said.
The LAPD released a security video that shows many people entering the store. Although many of the people initially appeared to be just shopping for snacks, others began running into the store and grabbing items from behind the register. A cash register was destroyed and candy, chips, and drinks were left all over the store. It’s unclear if any money was stolen.
Det. Ryan Moreno. “They ransacked the place, took food, cigarettes, and lottery tickets, trying to get the cashier’s box.”
It is unknown if any cash was stolen. Despite being threatened and harassed, the lone employee at the store was unharmed.
Police stated that they would begin confiscating cars from both drivers and observers at street takeovers in the future.
Moreno stated that cars will soon disappear if they start to do this type of thing, such as inconveniencing people and locking up freeways.
Local residents said that they’ve seen businesses disappear recently and are concerned about the possibility of more investment losses if this bad behavior continues.
Kevin Hosley, a Compton resident, said that “we’re losing a lot and we’re going to run out of resources.” “People will pull out of us. Many of us cannot afford to move to $700,000. We’re stuck. It’s our responsibility to live there, but it is not the people’s.
This is obviously not what the police want — for it to become a trend or the next big thing in social media. It’s difficult to imagine how they could stop it. It’s a good idea to confiscate the cars of violators, but most looters were either on foot or with passengers.
This lawlessness will only continue – and get worse – unless the looters are stopped by a system that treats property crime seriously. They’re laughing at the system as it stands, and know they can act with impunity or, worse, get a slap on their wrists.
