A gang of up to 20 thugs put on ski masks and robbed a Home Depot in Los Angeles, stealing sledgehammers and crowbars. At least four people were arrested.
There’s no doubt that the sledgehammers and crowbars will be used to facilitate even more smash-and-grab robberies across the city.
At least six high-end retailers were hit on Black Friday.
A large group entered a Bottega Veneta store and used pepper spray against some who tried to stop them while grabbing high-end merchandise there, the station reported.
A significant issue is bail reform policies as well as laws that protect shoplifters. Not to mention the ongoing war on police – where many cities have refused to provide officers the resources they need to fight crime.
And Gov. Gavin Newsom seems to be oblivious.
“You’re going to see it in and around large shopping malls and centers, going to continue to work collaboratively to address these organized efforts and call them out,” Newsom told FOX 2. “They need to be held to account. This is unconscionable behavior. Its impact is well beyond the victim: the business. We’re all victimized because there’s a level of distrust, lack of confidence in public safety that is inherent in what’s happening. We need to be more aggressive.”
There’s also a massive uptick in a very dangerous sort of criminal enterprise.
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating more than 110 robberies involving at least six different street gangs in which the victims were followed home, the department said.
The suspects targeted victims while they were outside and then committed the robberies as they were arriving home or at their business, the LAPD’s Robbery–Homicide Division said Friday.
Many of the victims were followed from high-end restaurants and nightclubs in Hollywood and Wilshire Boulevard, as well as the Jewelry District in downtown Los Angeles and Melrose Avenue, which is home to many trendy shops.
“”The target of these robberies has been expensive jewelry, including watches and necklaces, as well as expensive purses,” the police said. “Victims also have been targeted based on the type of vehicle they are driving.”
Up to 20 men and boys stole sledgehammers and crowbars from The Home Depot at the Lakewood Center Mall Friday evening, prompting fears they will be used in smash-and-grab robberies. https://t.co/OCZiAW0Tfw
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) November 27, 2021