Californians implored local officials to take action after a mob used a car to smash open a store and loot its goods.
“A mob of over 100 looters purposefully crashed a Kia into a small bakery in Compton, Calif., before they flooded in and ransacked the store during a night of rampage on the streets earlier this week. The thieves had gathered in the area for an illegal street takeover around 3 a.m. Tuesday before making the mile-long trek to Ruben’s Bakery & Mexican Food,” The New York Post reported. “When they got to the locked store, a white Kia backed into the front doors, clearing an entryway for the crowd of pillagers to get to their loot.
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Capt. Melissa Ramirez stated that the looters had stolen items ranging from meat and general groceries to lottery tickets. Police had reportedly received calls just before the looting occurred, alerting them that a car was on fire and a street takeover was underway.
While this incident may be shocking to some, local residents lamented at a city council meeting that night that such crime is all too common.
“They’ve been out there running amok, tearing our streets up,” one resident lamented to KCAL News. “It’s just like, when is this gonna stop?”
During the public comments section of the meeting, another said, “So sick and tired of hearing this crap every single day.”
Compton Democratic Mayor Emma Sharif declared at the meeting that “Ensuring the safety of businesses and residents in our city is our top priority” and called upon city council members to sign an ordinance that would increase citations for those who participate in these street takeovers.
But local voters were not impressed with such a response.
‘TEEN TAKEOVER’ TERRORIZES CHICAGO AS HUNDREDS OF TEENAGERS DESTROY PROPERTY, ATTACK TOURISTS
Cindi Enamorado, a local resident whose brother was killed by an automobile fleeing a street takeover last year, asked officials how they would actually solve this problem.
“Every time a street is taking over, we relive our nightmare, a nightmare we have been reliving almost going on a year now and I would hate for anything to happen to another family. I want to know, what’s the plan?” Enamorado said.
She went on to say, “We need to create a firewall, we need to stop allowing these kids that are coming from other cities that terrorize and vandalize the city, we need to really take this as serious as it is because at this moment, it’s only a matter of time before another life is lost.”
In April of last year, she said that youths made fun of her brother’s death amid a street takeover by “Spectating, recording him. Posting him online. Bumping music. They made a joke out of my brother’s passing.”
At that same meeting, she suggested that such street takeovers are clearly coordinated.
“There has to be a stop to this,” Enamorado said. “This is organized crime. There’s promoters out there coordinating this.”
