Mob takes over Compton gas station, steals thousands worth of loot
A wild mob of about 100 people ransacked a Compton gas station store over the weekend and nearly wiped the shop clean as the clerk hid in a locked bathroom.
Dozens of men and boys reportedly stole thousands of dollars worth of loot from the Acro mini mart Sunday after a group of cars doing donuts blocked a four-way intersection in an illegal street takeover around 2:30 a.m., according to local reports and videos.
Footage of the shoplifting shows several of the alleged thieves break through the glass door of the gas station store as people behind them pour inside and grab alcohol, drinks, snacks and condoms in the rowdy free-for-all.
The crowd quickly dispersed following the smash and grab, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
The store sustained significant damage and lost thousands of dollars worth of products, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) told ABC 7.
Shots were reportedly fired about a block away from the raid, but no one was injured, investigators said.
The LASD said they were too outnumbered to intervene in the chaotic robbery and street takeover at the intersection of Central Avenue and Alondra Boulevard.
“That’s our number one problem is not having the personnel, the units to respond to street takeovers. If we have those personnel respond to just street takeovers there’s no one else left,” LASD Deputy Miguel Meza told the local station.
The illegal takeovers and street racing are a growing issue in Compton, according to sheriff deputies and fed-up residents.
The Alondra Boulevard takeover was just one of three that occurred that night.
“They’re just about every weekend,” LASD Sgt. Clarence Williams told the Los Angeles Times. “We’re doing our best we can to try to assist the citizens in dealing with this issue.”
However, Williams said he had never witnessed a smash-and-grab mob “to that level” before Sunday.
“This intersection, this goes down two to three to nights a week. We hear the motors roaring, if you’re close by you probably can’t breathe after they got going,” Compton resident Ricky Finley told ABC7.
Another resident said he believes the looters aren’t from the neighborhood.
“The people who did this, I don’t think they are Compton residents,” Kevin Evans said. “We don’t tear up our own city like this.”
Police made no arrests early Sunday, but authorities are reviewing surveillance footage in an attempt to identify suspects in the crowd.
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