Video shows 70 flash mob looters ransack Oakland gas station, took police 9 hours to respond: 'Things have to be fixed somehow'



A flash mob of roughly 70 looters ransacked a California gas station convenience store, which cost approximately $100,000 in losses. The owner said it took Oakland police about nine hours to respond to the looting.

Around 4:30 a.m. on Friday, a flash mob looted the 76 Gas Station & Mini Market near the San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.

The owner, Sam Mardaie, said there were two employees working at the time and the looting lasted around 40 minutes. The business was only offering window service at the time of the pillaging. However, the looters broke into the market through the front door.

“Shelves were ripped apart, all the grocery items were torn or stepped on or vandalized,” Mardaie told KTVU.

The owner released video of the flash mob ransacking his gas station convenience store. Surveillance video shows the looters going behind the counter and stealing food and products.

None of the employees were harmed in the flash mob looting.

The looters snatched approximately $25,000 in cash from the store’s register and ATM. The owner said the criminals were not able to steal the safe.

Mardaie and his family took over the business in August 2023.

“This is the hardest thing you could ever go through…especially if you’ve been put in sweat and tears day in and day out,” Mardaie said. “Building yourself for the last ten months and then you’re back to square one.”

"Things have to be fixed somehow," Mardaie said. "The citizens of Oakland have to have some sort of security."

The owner said he knew the area was known for crime, but added: "I did not know it is this terrible."

The 76 gas station is located in the same area of Oakland where an In-N-Out fast food restaurant closed in March because of out-of-control crime. The location was the Southern California-based burger chain's only restaurant in Oakland.

The Oakland Police Department told KTVU that officers were responding to a sideshow near the airport that had more than 100 vehicles at the scene. The department said officers responded to the gas station robbery about 90 minutes after receiving a call. However, there were no suspects at the 76 gas station. Police marked the crime as a Priority 2, which means that the incident can be reported online. However, police upgraded the robbery to a Priority 1 crime after seeing the surveillance video.

No arrests were made in relation to the flash mob looting.

District 7 City Councilmember Treva Reid, who represents the area where the crime occurred, said she continues to "advocate and work to secure increased public safety resources and response." Reid urged Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao to prioritize her district's demands.

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Easter Sunday looters take whatever they want from San Fran Walgreens with no resistance; cops arrive 4 hours later



A group of looters did not take the day off Easter Sunday and were caught on video taking whatever they pleased from a Walgreens store in San Francisco. As usual, no resistance was offered.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Adding a little twist to what's become a commonplace crime in the city is that a producer from local TV news station KPIX recorded the mass shoplifting on his cellphone while he was out with his girlfriend, KPIX-TV reported.

"It was just like an ambush, basically," the producer, who didn't want to be named, told the station in regard to the afternoon ransacking inside the store on 9th and Market Streets. "It took me about three seconds to pull my phone out, ... and they just had no care at all."

Video caught at least seven individuals wearing hoodies and masks grabbing items off shelves and carrying away bags of merchandise, KPIX said.

The producer added to the station that the looters were "taking what they pleased with no regard for the law or those around them — [a] real-life smash and grab."

Image source: YouTube screenshot

He signaled how such crimes are no longer a surprise, saying in a kind of shoulder-shrugging tone that "it's San Francisco" before adding to KPIX that he's "kind of immune to it at this point."

The producer also told the station that store employees "did nothing" in the face of the looting — but that they're likely trained to exercise that response: "They're also probably immune to it. They're used to smash-and-grabs."

Oh, and while the crime happened around 4:30 p.m., KPIX said police didn't arrive until after 8:30 p.m. Police said the store was closed when they got there, and no one was present to report the incident, the station added.

KPIX said it wasn't clear why police responded some four hours later, and the station said it requested clarification from police and Walgreens about the response to the incident.

'You can grab and go as you please'

Sal, a vendor who regularly delivers to the Walgreens and other places, told KPIX he sees looting like this all the time: "They think it's a free-[for]-all. You can grab and go as you please."

Dina Miller has been living in the neighborhood for over a decade and shops at the Walgreens location almost daily on her way home, the station said — and she's just sad: "We don't really have any places to go shop anymore. Everything is closing down. … Walgreens are closing down all over the place, too."

Local security guard Eric Beverly who works nearby acknowledged to KPIX that rampant theft in the area had led to store closures: "It is a very difficult situation. A lot of bankruptcies, a lot of stores are foreclosing and taking precautions as far as marketing because of the theft here. It's very serious."

Matt Dorsey, a city supervisor, lives a few blocks from the Walgreens and shops there, the station said. After viewing cellphone video of the looting, he told KPIX police shortages are part of the problem, too.

"If we had a fully staffed police department, we could have a robbery unit that was doing more enforcement around places where retail theft plays out, holding more people accountable, and doing more to go after the fencing operations ... that make this lucrative," Dorsey noted to the station.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

More from KPIX:

Walgreens has closed at least 17 stores in San Francisco since 2019 and is among other large retailers to have closed up stores in the city or announced plans to close since the start of the pandemic. The last one to close was in February 2023 in the city's Financial District. Walgreens said the closure was "due to a significant decrease in foot traffic in the Financial District since the onset of the pandemic."

In April 2023, a person shoplifting from a Walgreens on Market and 4th Streets in San Francisco was confronted by an armed security guard and shot dead triggering weeks of protests. In July 2023, a Walgreens store in the city's Richmond District began padlocking its freezer section to thwart shoplifters.

Brazen shoplifters ransack San Francisco Walgreens store youtu.be

Anything else?

San Francisco indeed has seen an increase in crime for a number of years — and it just seems to get more and more brazen.

Even the city's far-left mayor, London Breed — who jumped on the "defund the police" bandwagon in 2020 after the death of George Floyd — made headlines for a speech she gave a year later in which she called out "bulls**t" crime "that has destroyed our city."

In February, outspoken NBA legend Charles Barkley shined a spotlight on San Francisco's "homeless crooks" during a live broadcast of the league's All-Star Game. As you might guess, his woke co-hosts pushed back with a vengeance.

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Editor Daily Rundown: The Left Is Coming For Trump’s Wealth

Calling all Patriots!

Florida sheriff tells homeowners how to handle looters: 'Shoot him so he looks like grated cheese'



A Florida sheriff gave advice to homeowners on how to handle looters in the state: "Shoot him so he looks like grated cheese."

Hurricane Ian ravaged the west coast of Florida last week. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis delivered an unflinching warning to criminals in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Ian: "Don't even think about looting."

"The other thing we’re concerned about, particularly in those areas that were really hard hit, is we want to make sure we’re maintaining law and order," DeSantis explained. "Don’t even think about looting. Don’t even think about taking advantage of people in this vulnerable situation."

"I can tell you, in the state of Florida, you never know what may be lurking behind somebody’s home," DeSantis warned. "I would not want to chance that if I were you, given that we're a Second Amendment state."

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd Grady issued an even more imposing warning to criminals considering looting. During an appearance on "Fox & Friends," Grady commented on the cases of criminals being arrested for looting in the areas obliterated by the Category 4 hurricane.

"People have a right to be safe in their homes. They have a right to their property, to be safe even when part of their home maybe torn away," Judd said on Friday. “And these looters, that’s unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable."

Grady advised Florida homeowners, "I would highly suggest that if a looter breaks into your home, comes into your home while you’re there to steal stuff that you take your gun and you shoot him. You shoot him so he looks like grated cheese because you know what? That’s one looter that will not break into anyone else’s home and take advantage of them when they’re the most vulnerable and the most weak."

Grady said that law enforcement and the community are "all gonna come together" during catastrophes like hurricanes.

"The community is gonna come together, and if there are looters that think they’re gonna take care of these people, they may breaking it, but they should be carried out in a pine box because that is unacceptable, that cuts against all laws and all reality," he exclaimed. "You have a right, and your property has a right to be safe and secure in your home, what’s left of it."

\u201cPolk County Sheriff:\n\n"I would highly suggest that if a looter breaks into your home ... to steal stuff, that you take your gun and you shoot him \u2026 so that he looks like grated cheese."\u201d
— The Post Millennial (@The Post Millennial) 1665170608

This isn't the first time the outspoken sheriff has issued a forceful warning to looters.

During the racial riots of the summer of 2020 sparked by the death of George Floyd, Sheriff Grady sternly warned criminals not to loot in the county east of Tampa.

"Let there be no misunderstanding, if you come here to riot, to loot, to injure people, we're going to lock you up in the county jail," Judd said in June 2020. "We are going to hunt you down and lock you up if you engage in any criminal conduct."

“I would tell them, if you value your life, they probably shouldn’t do that in Polk County. Because the people of Polk County like guns, they have guns, I encourage them to own guns, and they’re going to be in their homes tonight with their guns loaded, and if you try to break into their homes to steal, to set fires, I’m highly recommending they blow you back out of the house with their guns. So, leave the community alone,” the sheriff said.

In December 2021, Grady praised a Florida resident who defended his house from a home invasion.

"The homeowner did exactly what he should have," Judd noted of the resident in Lakeland. "He had a gun, he knew how to use it, it was loaded, and he shot him a lot. He gave him an early Christmas present. Only Santa Claus gets to come in your house — and Santa Claus is invited."

Chicago Smash and Grab | Crime Rates On the Rise

Chicago Smash and Grab | Crime Rates On the Rise

Video: Thieves raid Chicago suburb Louis Vuitton, stealing $120,000 in merchandise



A group of 14 thieves operating out of three getaway vehicles stole roughly $120,000 worth of merchandise from a Louis Vuitton store in Chicago's suburbs last week, according to police.

Surveillance video shows the thieves wearing masks and all-black clothing as they entered the store in an Oak Brook, Illinois, shopping mall on Wednesday, grabbing all kinds of items before quickly rushing away from the area.

"Once they entered the store, they pulled out the garbage bags from their coats and started filling them with merchandise," Oak Brook Police Chief James Kruger said, according to WLS-TV.

Kruger noted that area law enforcement officers are still working to identify the suspects by tracking the license plate information associated with the getaway vehicles.

On Friday, the Chicago Police Department seized one of the three vehicles allegedly used in the theft, a Dodge Charger that was reported stolen in October, NBC News reported. But as of Monday, no arrests have been made.

Oak Brook Louis Vuitton hit by 14 'grab-and-run' thieves, police say | ABC7 Chicago www.youtube.com

Kruger noted the Oak Brook grab-and-run presented striking similarities to an incident that took place at a Louis Vuitton store in the northern suburbs of Chicago only weeks prior.

In that case, 13 thieves and three getaway drivers burst into a Louis Vuitton store in a Northbrook, Illinois, shopping mall, stealing more than $150,000 in merchandise, police said.

"We don't know if there is a connection yet, but certainly there are similarities and our investigators are talking to their investigators," Kruger noted, adding, "The attorney general is looking into this investigation as well and whether or not to tie it to a larger scale investigation."

Oak Brook residents interviewed by local media said they were shocked that the crime occurred in a typically safe area of the Chicago metropolitan area.

"This is a safe area," one shopper told WLS. "We come here all the time. The kids play outside."

Another added: "You don't expect that kind of thing to happen outside of the city, too. I actually moved in from the city just recently. I thought I escaped all of that."

Rampant theft and looting continue to be a problem in many communities across the country. Over the weekend in Walnut Creek, California, a roving band of at least 80 masked burglars ransacked a Nordstrom department store.

The mob of criminals reportedly "stole goods, smashed shelves, and fled to their vehicles while carrying both bags and boxes of stolen merchandise."

Judge in Kyle Rittenhouse case rules that men he fatally shot and wounded can't be called 'victims' — but defense can call them 'rioters' and 'looters'



The judge presiding over the Kyle Rittenhouse homicide trial ruled Monday that the prosecution can't refer two men he fatally shot — and another man he wounded — as "victims," the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported.

What's more, the paper said, Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder added that Rittenhouse's attorneys can refer to the three shot men as "rioters" and "looters."

What are the details?

The decision on courtroom semantics stems from Schroeder's "standard rule," the Journal-Sentinel said, as he prohibits use of the term "victim" until someone is convicted of a crime, which hasn't happened yet.

Rittenhouse, 18, was charged with homicide and attempted homicide after he fatally shot Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz in Kenosha, Wisconsin, NBC News said.

Rittenhouse — who was 17 on the night of the Aug. 25, 2020, shootings — is from Illinois and was in Kenosha to defend businesses from looting and arson amid rioting over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man, by a white police officer. Rittenhouse pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and said he acted in self-defense.

"I feel I had to protect myself," Rittenhouse said last fall during an interview from a juvenile detention center. "I would have died that night if I didn't."

Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger wanted Rittenhouse's lawyers barred from calling the Rosenbaum, Huber, and Grosskreutz "looters, rioters, arsonists or any other pejorative term," the Journal-Sentinel said.

More from the paper:

While looting, rioting and arson occurred in the two nights before the shooting, Binger argued that unless there's specific proof Rosenbaum, Huber and Grosskreutz were engaged in any of those actions, and that Rittenhouse had seen it, the labels are even more "loaded" than what judge ascribes to "victim."

Schroeder was not swayed. "Let the evidence show what it shows," he said, and declined to prohibit the defense from using the state's unwanted terms.

Not surprisingly, CNN talking heads were decidedly unhappy with the judge's ruling:

Judge says men Kyle Rittenhouse killed shouldn't be called 'victims'youtu.be

What the left will likely ignore

As TheBlaze reported last year, video recorded on the night of the shootings allegedly caught Rosenbaum antagonizing a gun-carrying group in town to defend property, glaring at them, and daring them to "shoot me!"

Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @Julio_Rosas11

He even uttered the N-word as black people were feet away. (Content warning: Language, racial slurs):

Rioters are getting into confrontations with armed citizens who are out here to prevent looting and destruction to… https://t.co/waOikRHEn7

— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) 1598415475.0

In addition, video allegedly shows Rosenbaum — who apparently removed his red T-shirt to use as a head covering — chasing after a male armed with a rifle. Rosenbaum then allegedly throws a bag of tools at the guy with the gun and then lunges at him, after which the individual with the gun opens fire.

Rosenbaum was then seen in a graphic clip of the shooting aftermath dying in the street and wearing the same capri-length jeans, white sneakers with white socks, and tan belt as he's wearing in the video of him confronting militia members.

Anything else?

NBC News reported that Grosskreutz — who has not been charged with a crime — sued the city, the county, and law enforcement this month for enabling a "band of white nationalist vigilantes" amid unrest following Blake's shooting.

While a spokesperson representing Kenosha and its police department declined to comment, the network said that an attorney representing Kenosha County and the sheriff called Grosskreutz's allegations false.

"The lawsuit also fails to acknowledge that Mr. Grosskreutz was himself armed with a firearm when he was shot, and Mr. Grosskreutz failed to file the lawsuit against the person who actually shot him," attorney Sam Hall said, according to NBC News.

Indeed, Grosskreutz allegedly told a friend that he regretted "not killing the kid" who shot him at close range — and tore off a chunk of his arm — and "emptying the entire mag."

Here's a clip showing both Huber and Grosskreutz getting shot shortly after Rosenbaum was shot. (Content warning: Language):

(Warning, Graphic/Violent) A crowd chases a suspected shooter down in Kenosha. He trips and falls, then turns with… https://t.co/vxBAmOy0TK

— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) 1598422068.0

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