A California bike mob went on a rampage, looting three 7-Elevens in below 20 minutes, simply hours after Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom proudly signed his so-called ‘landmark’ anti-theft laws.
“We’re severe about stopping organized retail theft.” – Gavin Newsom asserting he’s spending $267 million to crack down on smash and seize robberies.
I ponder if Gavin Newsom remembers the $300 million he spent in 2021 when he vowed to crack down on smash and seize robberies. pic.twitter.com/jHSCs0UItL
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) April 19, 2024
Roughly 20 bicycling using thieves focused the Hollywood space comfort shops two miles aside on Friday night time, in keeping with NBC Los Angeles, citing the LAPD.
The brazen bunch broke into every retailer and stole foods and drinks objects starting with the 7-Eleven situated at 7040 West Sundown Boulevard simply after 8 p.m.
The shop was left with a damaged window.
An worker at a second retailer close to Hollywood Blvd and Highland Ave. was allegedly assaulted round 8:16 p.m., the outlet reported.
A 3rd retailer on Santa Monica Boulevard was hit at 8:22 p.m.
Friday night time’s chaos marks the newest in a sequence of smash-and-grab assaults troubling California.
A retailer supervisor talked about that the youngsters captured on surveillance Friday gave the impression to be the identical group chargeable for hitting two different native 7-Eleven shops final week.
Between 2019 and 2022, California noticed a 22% improve in shoplifting and 16% and 13% upticks in industrial housebreaking and theft, respectively, in keeping with the Public Coverage Institute of California.
Smash-and-grab robberies have put native and state politicians in a tough spot, particularly after Newsom signed latest bipartisan laws on Friday.
The so-called “landmark” regulation goals to implement stricter penalties on repeat shoplifters, retail thieves, and automotive burglars.
The regulation additionally lets prosecutors add up the worth of stolen items from totally different victims and counties, making it simpler to hit the edge for felony grand theft.
“Let’s be clear, that is probably the most important laws to handle property crime in trendy California historical past,” Newsome mentioned on Friday.
“Whereas some attempt to take us again to ineffective and expensive insurance policies of the previous, these new legal guidelines current a greater method ahead — making our communities safer and offering significant instruments to assist regulation enforcement arrest criminals and maintain them accountable.”
NEW: California Astronauts ransacked THREE 7-Eleven shops in below 20 minutes, simply hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a brand new bundle to crack down on retail thefts
About 20 thugs on bicycles focused comfort shops in Hollywood on Friday night time
The thieves broke into every… pic.twitter.com/yv1U0sj8iR
— Limitless L’s (@unlimited_ls) August 17, 2024
These latest occasions underscore the rising challenges in successfully combating retail theft, leaving many questioning whether or not the brand new laws will really make a distinction in curbing this rampant crime.
