- The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office released footage of a mob looting a 7-Eleven on October 8
- They are asking for help identifying the criminals and believe several of them are from the Bay Area
- California has seen an uptick in smash-and-grab robberies this year while battling growing homelessness
California police have released disturbing video showing a swarm of people, including a man in a Pennywise mask, looting and vandalizing a convivence store.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said police were called to a 7-Eleven on October 8 in Rio Linda when the store was terrorized.
Surveillance footage shows the mob entering through broken glass and jumping behind the counter to grab cigarette cartons.
‘While Sacramento County Sheriff’s North Patrol deputies were on scene approximately five minutes after the call, those responsible for the damages and looting had already fled the scene,’ said police.
Authorities have released the video and still images to help identify the criminals.
Several times, a man in the white and orange Pennywise mask enters and exits the store, taking more items.
The looters are seen carrying out cases of beer and armfuls of snack foods and knocking over shelves.
Police said after canvassing the area and attempting to locate witnesses, they believe some of the suspects are from the Bay Area.
‘This investigation is very active, and detectives are asking anyone with information about this incident to contact the Sheriff’s Office,’ said police.
They are offering a $10,000 reward for tips that lead to an arrest.
The Golden State has seen an uptick in smash-and-grabs and retail theft while combating rising homelessness.
On October 5, security camera footage showed five masked suspects shoved past a Gucci store security guard to pull off a $50,000 heist.
The San Jose Police Department arrested one suspect at the scene and the other four remain on the run.
In August, a group of 50 looters ransacked a luxury accessories concession at a Los Angeles Nordstrom store.
Investigators believe the group stole about $60,000 and $100,000 worth of merchandise.
A thieving ‘flash mob’ stole $5,000 of hardware from California Home Depot.
One of the thieves was seen wrestling a shopping cart from an employee while the others loaded a second cart.
Four of the looters were seen picking up armfuls of power tools from a shelf before casually walking out.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed claimed her city has become a ‘punching bag’ from crime headlines in the Bay Area as it grapples with 40,000 homeless people and brazen smash-and-grab robberies.
The Sacramento DA has sued the city over its homeless crisis and said California’s capital has suffered an ‘utter collapse into chaos’ because not enough was being done to remove people from living on the streets.
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development found that California accounts for half of all homeless people in the country.
Homelessness advocacy group Sacramento Steps Forward says that 9,278 homeless people live in Sacramento County.
Crime data from from the California Department of Justice found that in 2022 there were 8,894 violent crimes in Sacramento County.
Officials at the Los Angeles Police Department have formed a taskforce, named the the Organized Retail Crime Taskforce.
Detectives said the trend of smash-and-grab robberies is not limited, and will end up costing America $30 billion a year unless something is done.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom announced a plan for an additional $267 million to help fight organized retail crime.
