Several arrests have been made in connection with the flash-mob style robberies at 7-Eleven locations in Los Angeles after parents of some of the “youthful male” perpetrators spotted their kids in surveillance footage released by the Los Angeles Police Department.
Between Friday, July 12 and Friday, Sept. 20, there were 14 separate robberies across the 10 stores in LAPD’s Rampart, Hollywood, Wilshire and West L.A. divisions.
In each instance, the crew rolled up to the stores on bicycles during the evening hours and stole items, damaged property and left without paying, police said.
The group usually contained between 20 and 40 “youthful males” who appear to be teenagers, police said. Witnesses have told authorities that they fear for their safety during the robberies and that some of the suspects have physically pushed them, although no injuries have been reported.
In a Sept. 26 news release, investigators said for the first time that the string of robberies was connected to one individual group and that 13 of the 14 robberies occurred on a Friday night.
During the Oct. 1 meeting of the L.A. Board of Police Commissioners, Assistant LAPD Chief Blake Chow told board members that surveillance footage and press releases given to the media late last month had an immediate impact and generated numerous tips from the public that led to arrests.
“On Sept 26, the Organized Retail Crime Task Force responded to the Northeast Area where a parent had brought their juvenile child in, who was involved in a flash robbery. The child was booked for robbery,” Chow said. “On Sept. 28, another parent in Southwest Area brought their child into the station. That juvenile was booked for robbery in connection with a 7-Eleven flash robbery. On Sept. 29, a similar situation occurred in 77th, where the parent turned the child in. That juvenile was also booked for robbery.”
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Chow added that investigators learned through interviews that many of the juveniles involved in the 7-Eleven flash robberies were not from the neighborhoods where the crimes occurred.
Additionally, the assistant chief said that more arrests are anticipated as anonymous tips continue to come in and school resource officers work to identify other juveniles involved.
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