Parents gave up their own children after identifying them in surveillance footage of flash-mob-style robberies against 7-Eleven convenience stores published by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
Between Friday, July 12 and Friday, September 20, 202414 separate robberies were recorded at 10 7-Eleven stores located in areas of the LAPD’s Rampart, Hollywood, Wilshire and West Los Angeles divisions.
In each of the incidents, Dozens of suspects arrived at the businesses on bicycles During the night hours, they stole various items and caused property damage, in addition to fleeing without paying for the merchandise, authorities said.
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Teenagers, the suspects
The groups that robbed the stores were made up of between 20 and 40 suspects, who looked like teenagersaccording to the police.
Witnesses told the LAPD that They feared for their safety while the robberies were being committedand that some of the teenagers had physically pushed them, although no injuries were reported.
In a press release issued on September 26, researchers They mentioned for the first time that the series of robberies was connected to the same group and that 13 of the 14 incidents occurred on Friday nights.
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During the Oct. 1 Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners meeting, LAPD Deputy Chief Blake Chow told board members that Surveillance footage and press releases paid off.
Community response
Chow said the statements and images generated numerous responses among the community, which helped lead to several arrests.
“On September 26, the Retail Organized Crime Task Force went to the Northeast Area, where A father had taken his minor son, who was involved in a flash robbery. The young man was arrested for robbery,” Chow said.
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“On September 28, another father, in the Southwest Area, took his son to the station. That juvenile was arrested for robbery in connection with a flash robbery at a 7-Eleven. On September 29, a similar situation occurred on 77th, where the father handed over the child. That minor was also arrested for robbery,” he added.
Chow added that investigators learned through interviews that many of the youths involved in the 7-Eleven flash mob robberies They were not from the neighborhoods where the crimes were committed.
More arrests expected
The deputy director also said that More arrests anticipated as anonymous tips continue to come in and school resource officers are working to identify other teens involved in the flash robberies against the convenience store chain.
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Board of Commissioners Vice President Rasha Gerges Shields said it was interesting that the parents themselves actively participated in the task of demanding that their children take responsibility for the thefts and face the consequences.
Keep reading:
· Thieves captured in Los Angeles thanks to a tip on Instagram
· In less than an hour, robbers hit three 7-Eleven stores in Los Angeles County
· Three people are captured for alleged robbery at convenience stores in Southern California
