Groups of teenagers swarmed into stores in several areas of Philadelphia, stuffing plastic bags with merchandise and fleeing, and police arrested 15 to 20 people, authorities said.
The flash mob-style ransacking Tuesday night at stores, including Foot Locker, Lululemon and Apple in Center City, followed an earlier peaceful protest over a judge’s decision to dismiss murder and other charges against a Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver, Eddie Irizarry, through a rolled-up window.
However, the ransacking was not connected to the protest, Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said at a news conference.
“What we had tonight was a bunch of criminal opportunists take advantage of a situation and make an attempt to destroy our city,” he said.
The thefts and unrest stretched from Center City to Northeast and West Philadelphia.
Stanford said that people appeared to have organized efforts on social media. He said police are investigating “that there was possibly a caravan of a number of different vehicles that were going from location to location” and that a couple of people in that group were in custody.
Police said there was an increased presence of juveniles in the Center City business corridor shortly before 8 p.m. and that some officers stopped a group of males “dressed in black attire and wearing masks,” according to a police department news release.
At that time, reports and 911 calls were coming in about the Foot Locker store. When police arrived, they found it had been “ransacked in a coordinated attack,” the news release said. The juveniles fled and at least one adult as arrested.
By 8:12 p.m., police responded to similar calls at Lululemon, where multiple people were arrested. Shortly after that, calls directed police to the Apple Store. No arrests were made there, but the store lost phones and tablets, although many of those items have since been recovered, the news release said.
Video posted on social media showed masked people in hoodies running out of Lululemon with merchandise and police officers grabbing several and tackling them to the sidewalk.
No injuries were immediately reported, but CBS Philadelphia said a security guard was assaulted at the Foot Locker.
The thefts also occurred on the same day that Target announced it will close nine stores in four states, including one in New York City’s East Harlem neighborhood, and three in the San Francisco Bay Area, saying that theft and organized retail crime have threatened the safety of its workers and customers.
(AP)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
13 Responses
In 1993, I worked at a government agency at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan.
I was one of the very few white employees, because around 98% of the employees were black.
One day, I accidentally overheard the conversation of two employees, who were both black.
One employee said to the other:
“If the riots come here, I’m gonna get me a television set.” [exact quote]
What did she mean by that?
Did she mean that if the riots come here, she is going to BUY a television set?
If that was what she meant, then why should she need to wait for riots to happen?
They should drop all charges and call it reparations and be done with it.
I am not a racist but I did not see one WHITE looter. Why?
Like Baltimore, the Libs have ruined this city. If your a law abiding citizen, run away as fast as you can, this place is a giant toilet and will only get worse thanks to locked in place lib policies that continue to encourage criminals and punish regular citizens.
President Joe Biden denounced white supremacy as the “most dangerous terrorist threat” to the nation in his commencement address to Howard University’s graduating class Saturday.
“White supremacy … is the single most dangerous terrorist threat in our homeland,” Biden said. “And I’m not just saying this because I’m at a Black HBCU. I say this wherever I go.”
Yup. President Biden is a brilliant genius. Only Karine Jean-Pierre is smarter than him.
iPhones displayed in stores are useless, they are locked, and I believe has a kill switch if it leaves the store area unauthorized, it shuts down. #dummies
Many times when I’m stopped at a red light I think about how the whole traffic light situation only works because people are normal and want society to function in a way that will enhance our lives. I often wonder what would happen if some people would just decide not to obey the traffic lights or laws. There would be total mayhem, not to mention damage and injuries. Well my worst fantasies are taking place. They’re not happening with traffic lights (yet), but they’re happening in Philadelphia and any other cities where the inmates are running the asylum now. Total mayhem and the police can’t keep up. Norms of society are breaking down. How scary!
I also want to point out the discrimination against white people in these videos. They did not show one white person looting and acting like an animal! Is that discrimination or what?! We white people have to start making noise about reverse discrimination!
Shame on certain low class Americans. organized mob crime.
As of 9/28 at 7am, the race of the perpetrators is still unknown.
crazy
nebach, as they say,
the proof is in the pie.
This is really bad (but i’m sorry i did laugh at the videos) I mean they are laughing in the video’s, mocking the police.
If that’s what things have come to, than yep.
tell me, if they printed receipts for themselves, can they register the goods to go on the cheshbon of reparations???🤣
these “people” are a bunch of monkeys that just escaped from the zoo. every single one deserves to be in jail. i hope that these police beat these people as hard as they can. but knowing sleepy joe he will fire the police officer for punching that guy in the face. these people make my lamp post look smart.