Police are searching for dozens of teenagers who looted a 7-Eleven convenience store on Beverly Boulevard in downtown Los Angeles during the day Saturday.
The clerk activated the panic alarm after someone entered the store and pointed a gun at him. The incident then escalated into a mob of teens ransacking the business.
Video footage shared on social media shows laughing teenagers stealing items from the store. One teen was heard boasting: “Bro, it’s worth it because it ain’t got my face on it.”
Teen flash mobs have targeted multiple convenience stores across California in recent years, often posting videos of their crimes online.
Erik Albizures, a Los Angeles resident, told local media that the teens feel they can get away with anything and “from the looks of it, they can.”
Aaliyah Robinson, another resident, expressed concern: “Kids don’t listen in general, but maybe if parents start teaching their kids to be more respectful.”
Malcolm McBride suggested economic pressures might drive some teens to looting. “They probably don’t have the money for food,” he said. “If you go up that block, there are so many homeless people. It’s a systemic issue, and I don’t think California is doing a good job at that.”
Despite numerous surveillance cameras capturing footage of the incident, no arrests had been made as of late Saturday.
