Street takeover thugs beat up 7-Eleven worker who tries to keep them from looting store. But he's no match for mob of 50.



A mob of about 50 targeted a southern California 7-Eleven in a mass theft early Sunday morning — but this time the suspects beat up a store worker who was trying to keep the mob members out of the store, leaving him with a bloody nose, KTLA-TV reported, citing authorities.

You can view raw cellphone video of the brutal incident here. The video's caption states that the violence took place in Los Angeles, but KTLA's video report — which uses part of the same raw clip — indicates that it took place in Anaheim around 1:30 a.m. during a street takeover.

One mob member yells, 'Hey, throw a trash can at him!'

The raw video shows two hooded perps trying to pull open the 7-Eleven's doors while one worker tries to pull the doors shut and keep them out.

At one point, the store worker doubles over in pain as he's apparently hit in the midsection. He then picks up a stick, and the crooks run away — but only momentarily.

As engines scream and tires screech in the background — presumably the ongoing street takeover — one of the suspects who initially tried to pull the doors open reappears at the front of the store at 50 South Knott Avenue holding what appears to be a cinderblock.

With that, the worker in the store backs away from the doors, and the cinderblock-carrying guy moves in — along with a flood of other mob members.

As the suspect carrying the cinderblock demands the worker's stick, another mob member rips an entire rack of lighters off the store's counter.

But the 7-Eleven worker gamely fights back, swinging his stick at a couple of suspects who retreat — but more and more mob members enter the store, easily outnumbering the worker. One mob member yells, "Hey, throw a trash can at him!"

Soon another mob member enters the store from the rear, and the raw video catches him standing right behind the store worker who apparently has no idea he's there. Suddenly, that mob member shoves the worker from behind, causing him to fall to the floor and cry out in pain while the mob hoots and hollers with glee.

The worker finally retreats to safety, heading to the rear of the store while the looting continues — and that's where the raw clip ends.

Police told KTLA it's unclear how much merchandise the mob of about 40 to 50 members took, adding that they fled the scene before authorities arrived; no arrests were made. KTLA's video report said a cash register was stolen.

Those with information about the Anaheim 7-Eleven incident should contact the Anaheim Police Department, the station said, adding that those wishing to remain anonymous can call the Orange County Crime Stoppers Hotline at 855-TIP-OCCS.

You can view a second video report here about the incident that indicates the worker who fought back is the store owner.

More of the same

As readers of Blaze News know all too well, mob looting of 7-Elevens has become a kind of trend in Los Angeles of late. In August, a mob of about 20 individuals pulled off three nighttime smash-and-grab robberies in a span of 20 minutes. Last month, 50 juveniles on bicycles easily ransacked and robbed a 7-Eleven in L.A. and escaped police.

But late last month, there was a small break when a handful of parents turned in their kids after L.A. police shared nearly 200 surveillance images of recent 7-Eleven mob robberies by "youthful males."

The new police release unveiled a more extensive rundown of the "flash robberies" at 7-Elevens, saying they involve 20 to 40 suspects on bicycles who began targeting the stores on July 12. Police said all of the 7-Elevens are within a short distance of each other in the Rampart, Hollywood, Wilshire, and West L.A. Divisions. Police said 13 of the 14 incidents have occurred on Friday evenings.

KTLA in a previous report said Assistant LAPD Chief Blake Chow told the L.A. Board of Police Commissioners that the news release generated numerous tips from the public that led to arrests. What's more, Chow said a parent brought in a juvenile who was involved in one of the robberies, adding that two other parents also turned in their kids. In each instance, the child was booked for robbery. Investigators learned through interviews that many of the juveniles involved in the 7-Eleven flash robberies were not from the neighborhoods where the crimes took place, Chow told KTLA.

More arrests are anticipated as anonymous tips continue to come in and school resource officers work to identify other juveniles involved, Chow added to the station.

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Blaze News original: How violent, bullying leftists behave after getting bruising justice — or when they don't get their way



Among the many stomach-turning traits of militant leftists like Antifa and their ilk is that they tend to be supremely entitled and pathologically incapable of empathy. There is no other "side," no other point of view, and nothing else to consider. Their radical leftism is the only game in town.

It's a dangerous point of view, mainly because it contributes to making their criminal behavior — which often involves physically harming those who stand up against them or who are just in their way in that moment — perfectly acceptable in their minds.

'You guys want to criminalize us with metal detectors? We'll see you at your house. We'll murder you.'

The fallout happens when such leftists receive bruising justice in return, whether the comeuppance goes down in the streets or in courtrooms — and yes, even during public meetings when they don't get their way.

Over and over again, we've seen these ingredients — entitlement, a gang mentality, a propensity for violence, and lack of empathy — get shaken together to create a volatile cocktail that, in the end, explodes in the face of the left.

The following are some of the more jaw-dropping lowlights.

Female Antifa ringleader found guilty of orchestrating riot; loyal comrade arrested outside courthouse after verdict — on assault charge


An Antifa ringleader based in Portland, Oregon, was found guilty Aug. 14 of felony riot, disorderly conduct in the second degree, and unlawful use of mace in the second degree in connection with 2021 riot in a park in neighboring Clackamas County.

Self-described independent journalist Alissa Eleanor Azar was front and center when Antifa disrupted a conservative voter registration drive in Clackamette Park in Oregon City. Video evidence showed Azar using bear mace against a woman, according to the Post Millennial. She pushed Antifa's action on social media, and Clackamas County Deputy District Attorney Josh Cutino said Antifa was looking for a fight.

An Oregon City cop testified that his team discovered homemade explosive devices and riot shields in the area where Antifa had gathered, prompting bomb squad involvement.

After the verdict was announced, the Post Millennial and the Federalist reported that another infamous Antifa militant, John Hacker, allegedly attacked a man outside the courthouse, causing the man to bleed from the face.

"I crossed the street, and John Hacker’s there, and I was like, 'I think I just saw you assault him,'" Clackamas County Commissioner Ben West told the Federalist. "John tries to evade, police end up arresting him."

West said the victim "was bleeding pretty profusely. He was dazed. I got him off the ground, sat him up, tried to provide some direct pressure. Then Antifa came out and were yelling threatening things to me and making threats to me and my person while I was giving my report to law enforcement."

Hacker was charged with assault, went to the Clackamas County Jail, and was denied bail.

Pro-Palestinian radical at city council meeting threatens to 'murder' city council members. As you might guess, it doesn't end well for the lass.


A pro-Palestinian activist during a Bakersfield, California, city council meeting threatened to "murder" city council members. As you might guess, the threat didn't end well for her.

Members of United Liberation Front, a group of pro-Palestinian radicals, had been attending the bi-weekly city council meetings. They demand the city adopt — or at least introduce — a resolution supporting a ceasefire in Gaza, and they often have become disruptive as the council thus far has refused to cooperate.

During the April 10 meeting, one ULF member — 28-year-old Riddhi Patel — impugned city leaders during two separate speeches. In her first speech, she said, "I hope one day somebody brings a guillotine and kills all of you motherf***ers," apparently spitting as she walked away from the podium. In her second speech, she said, "You guys want to criminalize us with metal detectors? We'll see you at your house. We'll murder you."

With that, Mayor Karen Goh announced that Patel made a "threat" and asked officers to "escort" her out.

You can view Patel in action during the city council meeting here. She speaks just after the 30-minute mark, and she speaks again just before the 47-minute mark; it was just after Patel's second set of remarks that she was arrested and charged with 16 felonies: eight counts of threatening with intent to terrorize and eight counts of threatening elected public officials. She ended up in custody on a bond of at least $1 million.

Days later in court, Patel was far from the firebrand she portrayed at the city council meeting; instead she was wearing a brown jail uniform and weeped uncontrollably. A judge ruled on Oct. 1 that her case would proceed.

Heavily armed leftists surround, threaten lone Portland motorist. But when fed-up driver points his own gun at them, all hell breaks loose.


Heavily armed leftists apparently acting as security for a march in Portland on May 5, 2021, pointed their guns at a lone motorist and threatened him before the fed-up driver exited his truck and pointed his own gun at them — and then all hell broke loose.

The large group of marching leftist militants reportedly gathered to remember Patrick Kimmons, a black man fatally shot by Portland police in 2018.

But a vehicle apparently leading the group came upon a pickup truck driver who was traveling toward the marchers, and the lead vehicle blocked the driver's path — and in seconds, numerous militants descended upon the pickup truck driver and began threatening him.

The thing is, though, the driver had a gun, too — and the heavily armed militants didn't like that one bit. "You better f***ing not!" one leftist was heard yelling at the driver. "Put your f***ing gun down!" The driver, standing behind his truck door, pointed at one particularly well-strapped leftist and twice yelled back, "You got about five seconds to lower that f***ing weapon!"

The lone driver — who faced about a half-dozen armed leftists in the standoff — jawed with the hostile group, calling them "c**ksuckers" and "f***in' idiots" and repeatedly ordering them to "shut up." One leftist told the driver that his "vehicle is a deadly weapon" — which didn't go over too well with the driver, who noted all the rifles pointed in his direction.

As the driver got back into this truck and began to move past the militants, one leftist called him a "f***ing Nazi" as others demanded he "get outta here!" Then just before he reached the intersection — apparently after one of the leftists hit or threw something at his truck — the driver stopped, got out, and confronted the group. The situation grew tense, with many people screaming, and the driver grabbed his gun and moved forward on one of the rifle-wielding leftists — who promptly shoved the driver backward.

With that, the driver regained his footing and drew his gun on the group, but he soon was tackled from behind, after which numerous militants piled on him. Then the driver was requesting an ambulance, asking for his gun back, and telling the leftists that he's a disabled Marine.

Cop drives motorcycle into left-wing protester blocking his path, pushing her up road and knocking her down — and her comrades lose their minds


A crowd of left-wing protesters tried having their way with a lone police officer on the night of Oct. 2, 2020, in Portland, Oregon — but he was having none of it.

The officer had pulled over two vehicles blocking traffic, police told the Oregonian. Video — which you can view here — shows protesters converging upon the scene. The lone, completely outnumbered officer then found himself facing down numerous protesters who inched their way toward him. "Back up!" he hollered repeatedly at them.

The driver of one of the vehicles he pulled over took off. But when the cop got on his motorcycle and prepared to pursue the driver, a couple of protesters stood in his way. One positioned herself directly in front of his motorcycle — her legs literally straddling the path of his front wheel. The officer was undeterred, however, and pushed the protester with his motorcycle up the road until she tumbled to the street, after which he sped away.

Right on cue, comrades of the knocked-down protester predictably flipped out and chased after the officer on foot while unleashing enraged howls.

More from the Oregonian:

Live videos from the scene showed officers approach the crowd to check if the person needed medical attention. An argument ensued, and at least one person was detained during the encounter.

Police said Saturday afternoon that the protester struck by the motorcycle was eventually taken to the hospital and later booked on charges of rioting, interfering with a peace officer and second-degree disorderly conduct. Police did not provide an update on the person's medical status. Police said they were booked into jail later than initially planned because someone had slashed the police vehicles' tires in the hospital parking lot.

Leftists who apparently see themselves as part of an army actually cry out, 'Medic! Medic!' as cops push them back following failed mission to topple Andrew Jackson statue


While National Park Police in Washington, D.C., lined up and pushed leftist protesters out of Lafayette Square Park on the evening of June 22, 2020 — following their failed attempt to pull down a statue of Andrew Jackson — one video caught a rather astonishing reaction from the vanquished demonstrators.

As if they see themselves as actual soldiers on the field of battle, a number of utterly defeated comrades were heard crying out, "Medic! Medic!" in the face of their bruised bodies and egos. Bless their hearts. Check out the video here.

Another clip showed the depressing aftermath as the limping army of history-erasers hacked up their lungs, tried to catch their collective breath, and licked their wounds. One person was heard loudly inquiring, "Anybody here need medical attention?"

Plug your ears! Leftist repeatedly screams in high-pitched fashion at San Francisco leaders during public meeting in protest of black trans fatal shooting


A left-wing activist screamed out her lungs for an extended period of time during public comment at a San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting on May 2, 2023, in the wake of a controversial fatal shooting.

The black trans individual who was shot — 24-year-old Banko Brown — allegedly tried to steal from a local Walgreens around 6:30 p.m. April 27, 2023, and was shot by a security guard, Fox News reported, adding that Brown died at a hospital.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins days before the supervisors' meeting said her office wouldn't prosecute the guard, Michael-Earl Wayne Anthony, the cable network reported in a separate story.

During the pubic comment portion of the supervisors' meeting, a female speaker sporting a buzz cut and a black leather jacket said, "I don't have any words prepared today. I just want you to feel our pain. I don't know if you can at this point, based off your policy choices, but I have to pretend you have some form of empathy left. So I am going to spend the next minute screaming, 'cause that is what is going on in here. That is what the trans genocide in this country, in this city, has brought me to."

With that, she let out a lengthy, ear-piercing scream. Then she delivered another — and another. For variety, she added one more.

"Imagine that!" she yelled, before continuing her screaming. All told, she treated the room to 15 seconds' worth of high-volume bellowing. But she was far from done. Next came the high-pitched screaming sentences.

"I hate this! I hate what you've done to us! I hate what you're doing to us! I hate you, Board of Supervisors! I hate you, [Mayor] London Breed! I hate you, Jenkins!" she hollered in high-pitched fashion before letting out one final howling scream.

After dropping a couple of F-bombs, she also called the board members "cowards" and walked away. You can view the screaming speech here; it begins just after the 1-hour, 8-minute mark.

As readers of Blaze News likely know, Bay Area stores like Walgreens have been gutted by brazen shoplifters over the last several years and suffered as a result — it's a phenomenon rather common in large America cities nowadays.

Leftist students freak out, get arrested by campus cops after yet another MAGA hat reportedly is stolen


Remember when red "Make America Great Again" hats more or less became kryptonite to leftists and constantly seemed to lead to jaw-dropping episodes of Trump derangement syndrome?

Well, on May 2, 2019, a Texas State University student shot video of what he told Campus Reform occurred after another student stole his MAGA hat amid a heated political discussion on campus. The clip shows one student dropping and kicking the student's MAGA hat as campus police confront the female culprit.

While she's handcuffed, cops drop another student face down on the quad pavement as other students holler in protest and gather around the growing number of police. A third student begins screaming and crying hysterically, trying to get past officers: "Don't f***ing touch her!"

An apparent officer is heard speaking to the student whose MAGA hat was allegedly stolen, asking if he wants to press charges, and the student responds that he does and then is directed to follow the person.

As the pair of handcuffed students are led away, someone is heard off camera stating, "If that's not white privilege I don't know what the f*** is."

As police lead the arrested individuals through a building, the student who earlier was screaming and crying hysterically upped things quite a bit, getting in the MAGA-hat student's face and bellowing, "Get out! Why are you here?! Why are you here?! Leave!" Someone is then heard telling the MAGA-hat student, "You're escalating the situation. Get the f*** out."

Then inside the campus police station, yet another leftist student wearing a bandana over her face tried to get past police to one of the arrested students and actually appeared to bump chests with a cop. She was immediately turned against a wall and handcuffed as she yelled, "Don't f***ing touch me! What crime are you suspecting me of committing?! Articulate it! Articulate it!"

You can view video of the whole sorry scene right here.

Blaze News previously noted numerous instances during which anti-Trump folks have flipped out at MAGA-hat wearers, taken off or knocked the cap off their heads, or actually stolen them as video recorded the whole thing.

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Blaze News original: Meet retail workers who got fired for confronting shoplifters — even for just recording heists on video



A former security guard for a King Soopers grocery store in Aurora, Colorado, told KDVR-TV he was fired after a shoplifter punched him in August 2022.

“I absolutely was fired unfairly for defending myself," Jessie Sims told the station in an exclusive interview. "Every person has a right to defend [themselves]."

'I just got tired of seeing things get out the door. I just ... I lost it. I basically lost all the training. Everything they tell you to do, I just ... I just lost it. I didn’t expect to get terminated. Maybe a reprimand or a suspension.'

Sims, 52, told KDVR he worked as a guard for the store for nearly 15 years when the incident occurred at the store. Sims confronted the male shoplifter trying to leave the store with a bag of snow crab legs worth more than $200, the station said, adding that Sims said he "never struck this gentleman. It was all defensive, open-hand technique."

A coworker stated in writing that Sims "came in contact with the shoplifter. The shoplifter then proceeded to punch Jessie.” However, KDVR said Sim’s termination letter stated the punch “was not seen on video” and added Sims "left minimal room between himself and the shoplift subject. This made it difficult for the shoplift subject to easily leave the store.”

Sims acknowledged to the station that store policy prohibits security guards from touching shoplifting suspects, but he added that they are allowed to defend themselves when someone strikes them. Sims told KDVR he had been assaulted five times in the previous four years on the job at King Soopers — and that sometimes offenders know store policy and say things like, "You can’t touch me. You can’t do nothing" and then walk off with goods.

“It’s a free-for-all," he added to the station. "A majority of our criminal element that is doing this know our policies. Know we can’t touch them. And they know if we call law enforcement, it could be two to four hours on average, sometimes two to three days before [police] get in to do a report.”

Sims told KDVR he’s contacted attorneys about filing for wrongful termination but has been informed that he doesn’t have a case since he wasn’t fired based on age, gender, race, or a disability.

The station said King Soopers declined to answer specific questions about Sims' firing but stated that "our top priority is the safety of our associates and customers and any activity that does not align with that core value is addressed on an individual basis resulting in disciplinary action up to and including termination."

You can view a video report about the incident here. What's more, that isn't the only King Soopers drama, either. KDVR also said five employees of a King Soopers store in Greenwood Village, Colorado, were fired for holding a shoplifting suspect and calling police in November 2022.

What follows here are 10 additional instances of retail workers who got fired for confronting shoplifters — even for just recording heists on video, which yet another former King Soopers employee learned the hard way last summer:

Big Lots managers reportedly fired for trying to grab cart from alleged shoplifters: 'At least four to five times a day this happens'


Lily Oxford — a single mom and former manager at Big Lots — told KGET-TV she and another store manager were fired after they confronted an alleged shoplifter in the parking lot of a store in Oildale, California, on April 5, 2023. Oildale is about 10 minutes north of Bakersfield.

Oxford told the station her intention was to retrieve the shopping cart used to transport 15 jugs containing allegedly stolen Tide laundry detergent, not to get back the merchandise itself. She said the store got 40 brand-new carts for Christmas but were down to just five by March — and that customers aren't allowed to take the carts outside. If they do, Oxford said employees are instructed to retrieve them.

"So many customers see [shoplifting] happen on a daily basis," she told the station. "At least four to five times a day this happens whether they go out the front door or whether they go out the back door ... at least. Bare minimum."

Big Lots reportedly declined KGET's multiple requests for comment. But if the company didn't appreciate the former managers' efforts, other shoppers apparently did.

"I had people, at least three different people out here, applauding me because it happens so much," Oxford — who started a GoFundMe to help with her expenses as she searches for a new job — told KGET. You can see a video report about the incident here.

King Soopers employee terminated for recording video of thieves stealing cart full of goods — which helped police identify crooks


A King Soopers grocery store employee was fired after he recorded video showing three males loading stolen laundry detergent into a vehicle in June 2023.

"Damn, these guys are good — look at 'em, stealing," Santino Burrola narrated in the video recorded in the parking lot outside of a King Soopers in Centennial, Colorado, on Father's Day. "Really, bro? You got to resort to this? The economy's not that bad. Better get it while the gettin's good."

As the vehicle drove off, Burrola yanked off a piece of aluminum foil covering the license plate of the getaway vehicle. He called police and shared the video on social media. His efforts helped police identify the driver, whom cops later arrested. Police were still searching for the other two males.

Burrola, a former military police officer, told KCNC-TV that when he returned to work following the theft, he was suspended. Then during a meeting with the company that included a union representative, he was fired.

Apparently, King Soopers officials believe Burrola violated an employee policy that instructs workers to not intervene in theft. In a statement, the company refused to comment on the matter directly but said, "We have security measures in place to help prevent crime and de-escalate such confrontations to minimize the risk to our associates. While we are unable to comment on personnel matters, we value our hardworking associates and their safe return home."

"Did I feel that I overstepped boundaries? Not really because I didn’t physically touch them or alter their shoplifting in any way, I just revealed the license plate to help the community to be aware, the police be aware and to help better catch them," Burrola told KUSA-TV.

Burrola was fired without severance pay, according to a GoFundMe established to help him. You can view a video report about the incident here.

Sporting goods retail chain reportedly cans store employees for chasing shoplifter who stole gun


Three employees with a Louisiana sporting goods store reportedly were fired for chasing a thief who stole a firearm from their Metairie store on Dec. 16, 2023.

Michelle Sutton, a team leader at Academy Sports + Outdoors, told WGNO-TV she jumped into action when she heard a distressing call over her store radio about the theft.

"I just took off," Sutton said. She and two other store associates chased the suspect — but they were too late. The thief was long gone.

Four days later, Sutton said she was informed by Academy's corporate firearm compliance personnel that she was fired, along with her two colleagues. The trio violated company policy, which according to WGNO states that employees are prohibited from pursuing or restraining shoplifting suspects.

Sutton said she and her colleagues remained on the sidewalk by the store in hopes of obtaining information about the shoplifter for police, such as a vehicle tag number.

"I know my store director had said that they want you to be able to get the make and model of a vehicle, you know, maybe a direction ... the vehicle went," she explained.

Neither the store nor the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office responded to Blaze News' request for comment.

Former Big Lots manager says he was fired after following shoplifter outside store in attempt to help cops locate suspect


— (@)

A former manager at a Big Lots store in the Rochester, New York, area said he was fired after following a shoplifter — who took a swing at an employee — outside the store and into the parking lot to help police locate the suspect.

Pat Guider told WHEC-TV during an interview at his Irondequoit home that he saw the shoplifter take a swing at his assistant manager during the May 10 incident: “What I saw is that he took a swing, like a punch at [the assistant manager],” Guider said while making an uppercut motion with a clenched fist.

Guider also told WHEC that’s the only reason he followed the shoplifter out of the store: “I let people who shoplift leave the store every day. Every day. We just put it in the system like they ask us to do. This was an assault. This wasn’t shoplifting. This was an assault.”

Guider told the station he followed the male at a distance through the parking lot of the store while relaying his location to 911 so police might catch the suspect.

The suspect got away — and Guider told WHEC he was fired over the incident. The station said its reporter found no phone number for Big Lots' CEO or communication chief, so the reporter emailed the company three times — but Big Lots had not responded as of the publication of the station's story.

WHEC said a poster in the Big Lots lunchroom warns employees to “never leave the store to pursue, detain, or identify a customer.”

The station's reporter asked labor lawyer Paul Keneally at Underberg & Kessler how Guider could have been fired for trying "to help police track down a shoplifter ... how does that happen?”

Keneally told WHEC "the company is probably considering the liability of any sort of interaction between the perpetrator and store employee.”

The attorney added to the station that likely explains why Big Lots has "a rule in place that the employees are not to do anything, and it’s unfortunate because it sounds like this person was trying to do the right thing."

Guider told WHEC, "I did not put myself in jeopardy. I did not put any shoppers in jeopardy."

Now without a job — and with two sons in college — Guider noted to the station that he and his wife are trying to figure out how to get health insurance. What's more, at age 62, Guider added to WHEC he's not sure how easy it will be to find another job — but he's resting on a power greater than himself: “The good thing is we have a huge faith in God, a huge faith in God, and everything will work out. It’s just going to be difficult. It’s going to be difficult."

Lululemon CEO doubles down on decision to oust two employees for following crooks outside store after they stole thousands of dollars in merchandise


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Lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald defended his company's decision to fire two retail store employees who engaged with thieves in 2023.

Two Lululemon workers — Jennifer Ferguson and Rachel Rogers — confronted three thieves who stole thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from the athletic wear retail store's Peachtree Corners location in Georgia.

You can view a video report about the incident here, which includes cellphone video Rogers recorded of the theft in progress. It isn't clear from the cellphone clip if Ferguson or Rogers physically engaged with the shoplifters, but the video appears to show the thieves being followed outside as the crooks run to a getaway vehicle.

Thanks to Rogers and Ferguson, police apprehended the thieves, WXIA-TV reported, and they were facing felony robbery charges.

The employees said they were given little explanation for their termination, other than for violating a zero-tolerance policy for confronting store thieves. Lululemon later confirmed this, telling Blaze News that Ferguson and Rogers were fired for "knowingly violating our zero-tolerance policy related to physically engaging with the perpetrators which put their lives and the safety of our guests and other employees at risk."

Speaking on CNBC, McDonald justified firing the employees, whom Lululemon call "educators."

"We have a zero-tolerance policy that we train our educators on around engaging during a theft," McDonald said. "Why? Because we put the safety of our team [and] of our guests front and center."

According to McDonald, company policy directs Lululemon employees to allow thieves to steal at will: "It's only merchandise at the end; [employees are] trained to step back, let the theft occur, know that there’s technology and cameras, and we're working with law enforcement." He added that "unfortunately, in this situation the educators knowingly broke the policy, engaged with the thieves across multiple points — including following them out of the store — so post investigation and the zero-tolerance policy, which is well-known, that was what resulted in the termination."

McDonald also dispelled the claim that the employees were fired because they called police: "Just to be clear, our educators are able to call the police. We train them to step back. It's about their safety, and we take that policy seriously because we've had instances, and we have seen in other retailers instances, where employees step in and are hurt or, worse, killed."

68-year-old Lowe's employee fired for trying to stop shoplifter who repeatedly punched her in the face — but that's not the end of the story


Lowe’s employee Donna Hansbrough tried to thwart a shoplifting attempt of more than $2,000 in merchandise from the store in Rincon, Georgia, on June 25, 2023. Three suspects reportedly loaded up a shopping cart and exited the home improvement store with the stolen items.

The Rincon Police Department said in a statement that Hansbrough "attempted to stop one of the subjects by grabbing the shopping cart. Hansbrough did not at any time make contact with any person. The cart that Donna grabbed was in the possession of subject Takyah Berry. After Donna grabbed the cart, Berry struck Donna in the face three times causing Donna’s right eye to swell and blacken." Police identified the other two suspects as Jarmar Lawton and Joseph Berry, who's Takyah Berry's uncle.

Police said they arrested Lawton but were still searching for the other two suspects. Authorities said the trio stole merchandise worth $2,101.

Police said Lowe's fired Hansbrough for attempting to stop the theft and that she violated company policy against intervening with shoplifters. Hansbrough had worked for Lowe's for 13 years.

Hansbrough told the Effingham Herald, "They say that if you see somebody stealing something out the door, not to pursue, not to go out. I lost it. I grabbed the cart. I don't actually remember going out, but I did. And I grabbed the cart that had the stolen items in [it]." She added, "I just got tired of seeing things get out the door. I just ... I lost it. I basically lost all the training. Everything they tell you to do, I just ... I just lost it. I didn’t expect to get terminated. Maybe a reprimand or a suspension."

A GoFundMe campaign was launched to "directly help Ms. Donna with any bills while she attempts to find new employment after being fired by Lowe’s for something she clearly had no control over." You can view a video report about her initial firing here.

Soon after news of Hansbrough's firing went into viral outrage overdrive, Lowe's walked it all back. The Effingham Herald said Lowe's acknowledged that "after senior management became aware of the incident and spoke to Donna Hansbrough today, we are reinstating her job, and we are pleased that she has accepted the offer to return to Lowe's."

As for the two other suspects, police said Joseph Berry was apprehended in Jacksonville, Florida, on July 22. Takyah Berry was finally arrested Sept. 7 and charged with robbery, battery, exploitation or inflicting pain to an elder person, and wearing a mask, hood, or device to conceal identity.

Safeway sacks single mom after 22 years of service because she thwarted shoplifting. But judge has different opinion.


The attorney for Antoinette Baez said Safeway grocery stores fired her after she stopped a shoplifter who in 2023 tried to exit the San Mateo, California, store with more than $500 in merchandise. The retail chain's policy is that employees should not touch shoplifters, according to attorney Neil Eisenberg.

Baez said she didn't touch the shoplifter but tried to grab at the stolen grocery bags. When the thief tried to punch at her, Baez's supervisor David Arevalos tried to protect Baez. The woman left without any of the items she was trying to steal.

Initially, Baez said the store's director was compassionate and caring — then Safeway fired Arevalos for getting physical with the thief, and then the store fired Baez for misconduct and said she wouldn't get unemployment benefits because of it.

Baez said she had worked for Safeway for 22 years since she was 16 years old and had been an exemplary employee the whole time. "When you hear that, it just felt like a punch to the gut," she said. "Devastated, coming from a place of transparency and honesty, that it just, it somehow worked against me."

Baez, a single mom, decided to fight back legally. She initially lost her lawsuit but won on appeal earlier this year. An administrative Employment Development Department judge found Baez was not on the clock when she confronted the shoplifter and was wrongly terminated. Baez will receive a year's worth of unemployment benefits as a result of the ruling.

Her attorney had strong words for Safeway and its unfair treatment of his client: "A judge said she was fired for doing her job, and basically said the state of California stands behind her, and she beat Safeway in a state proceeding."

Eisenberg said it was no different than a citizen's arrest because Baez was not clocked in to work. He also blasted the store for its actions: "Safeway has not reached out to her. They have not offered her job back. They have not offered to pay her lost wages for a year."

He also accused the company of treating its employees worse than retail thieves: "Safeway’s a food bank for thieves. You are better off stealing from Safeway than paying for your goods or your groceries because when you pay for your goods or your groceries, you are absorbing the cost of shoplifting."

Eisenberg said he plans to file a wrongful termination lawsuit against the store and will ask for $1 million in punitive damages.

"If you're shoplifting, you get to go free, no consequences," Eisenberg continued. "This is probably the dumbest, cruelest incident I've seen in my entire practice."

Safeway did not respond to a request for a comment from KTVU. You can view a video report about the incident here.

Pair of baristas beat down idiots allegedly trying to rob Starbucks with fake guns — and company says thanks by showing them the door


Starbucks fired a pair of baristas who beat up two males who allegedly tried to rob one of the mammoth coffee chain's stores in St. Louis in late 2023.

Police said 37-year-old Joshua Noe and 35-year-old Marquise Porter-Doyle rushed into the store Dec. 17 with what looked like real handguns and demanded the employees open up a cash register and safe. When they couldn't, Noe allegedly hit an employee in the head with his gun, which shattered — and that's when the victims realized the guns were fake.

Two of the baristas and some customers beat down the two would-be robbers and held Noe until police arrived. Porter-Doyle escaped, but police caught up with him later and arrested him. The two alleged robbers were facing a combined 20 felony charges for robbery, attempted robbery, and assault

But instead of thanking the two employees, Starbucks fired them.

An attorney for the former barista Michael Harris says he's filing a lawsuit against Starbucks, according to the St. Louis Riverfront Times. The other fired barista is Devin Jones-Ransom. Attorney Ryan Krupp said "Harris complied with the robbers' demands until it was no longer an option for himself and others" and that his client acted out of fear that he might be killed.

“I just wanted to do the right thing as a person and as an employee," said Harris in a statement.

A representative for Starbucks released a statement about the lawsuit: "The safety and wellbeing of our partners (employees) and customers is always our first concern. All partners are expected to follow our carefully crafted protocols to ensure the safety of customers and partners during these situations."

Elderly Circle K clerk says she was terminated after trying to stop crook armed with knives who went behind counter while she was alone during night shift


An elderly Colorado woman told KCNC-TV in September 2022 she was fired for the job she held at a Circle-K convenience store for 16 years after her manager didn't believe her story that a crook she tried to stop one night two years prior was carrying knives.

Turns out the suspect reportedly pleaded guilty to menacing with a deadly weapon — and Mary Moreno decided to sue the store, the station said.

Moreno was working a night shift at the store on Oct. 4, 2020, when a man came in around 7 p.m. holding what she described as two hunting knives, the station reported. Moreno told the station the man asked for cigarettes — but soon it became clear he wasn't intending to pay for them.

"He kept insisting, 'You have to give them to me.' He said, 'You have to give them to me,'" she noted to KCNC.

After Moreno refused, she told the station the man came behind the counter — after which she put up resistance.

"I pushed his arm, you know?" Moreno told KCNC. "And when I pushed his arm, he took off."

Police later arrested Tyler Darren Wimmer in connection with the incident and charged him with aggravated robbery and menacing with a deadly weapon, the station said. He pleaded guilty to the menacing with a deadly weapon charge, KCNC said, citing a lawsuit filed on Moreno's behalf by the Rathod Mohamedbhi Law Firm. She told the station that despite video of the incident, eyewitness accounts, and Wimmer's arrest, her store manager didn't believe her story.

"He took me in the office, and he said, 'Well, I don't see a knife,' because he watched the video, I guess," Moreno recounted to KCNC. "And I said, 'Well, there was a knife.'"

Moreno's boss even insisted that she apologize, the station said, after which she refused and then was fired. KCNC reported that Moreno decided to sue the store: "I'm not doing it for money. I'm doing it because of the way they treat their employees."

KCNC said it reached out to Circle-K for comment but didn't hear back. You can view a video report about the incident here.

In the end, the lawsuit didn't work out. A federal judge ruled earlier this year that Circle K lawfully fired Moreno, and that she "does not explain why her statutory or common-law right to assert self-defense in the criminal context is related to her job-related duties at Circle K." Moreno's attorney said she plans to appeal.

Walmart allegedly sends worker packing for stepping foot outside store to confront shoplifters, putting her hand on stolen merchandise


A former Walmart worker in North Carolina alleged to Business Insider that the retail giant fired her in 2023 for stepping outside the store to confront shoplifters and putting her hand on stolen merchandise.

The worker told the outlet that her job was monitoring self-checkout, and two girls on the night of Nov. 4 rang up a $6.95 plastic storage container and "then they walked right past me." The former worker told Business Insider about Walmart's saying, "Do you know B.O.B. and L.I.S.A.?" She said B.O.B. is "bottom of the basket," and L.I.S.A. is "look inside, always."

She noted to the outlet, "So I followed them and asked them if I could go and look inside the tote. They declined and tried to push their cart past me. I used my finger and flipped the lid off to where I could see inside. It was half-full of stuff, and 90% of it was makeup. And I don't know if you know anything about cosmetics, but one little pencil is $10, so the value of that tote added up quickly."

The former worker said police were called, but the girls were let go and "the asset protection team at the store didn't do anything, either."

But a few days later, store higher-ups allegedly did something to the worker: They fired her over the "incident with the girls" and "went against policy by stepping out of the door of the store and because I grabbed the tote."

Despite this, the former worker told Business Insider that Walmart made employees at her store wear a badge that reads "how much shrinkage there has been" and that workers aren't doing their job to "stop theft."

"That's how it's gotten to be," the former worker told the outlet. "These companies want you to prevent shoplifting and theft. But I say: 'You're not giving us the tools to do what you want us to do.'"

Business Insider told Walmart that "while we are not discussing the details of a personnel matter, violating policies can lead to termination under our progressive disciplinary process."

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Blaze News original: Store workers use their guts, fists, and wits to battle crooks tooth and nail — Part 2



Blaze News' first installment of its two-part series on store workers who use their guts, fists, and wits to battle crooks tooth and nail features a mother and daughter encountering a crook right at closing time ... a hard-working dad on a conference call with his daughter's school as he's ready to wind things down for the evening when a thug puts a pistol in his face ... and a woman behind a counter who reads the riot act to a gun-toting goon who threatens to shoot her if she doesn't hand over all the register's cash. You no doubt recall that she has a piping hot weapon ready for him, too.

Thing is, we found so many similar examples that we had to offer a second part. In this roundup, you'll read about a female clerk in an Ohio smoke shop who stands up to a thug who put a gun in her face and demanded money ... a Target security guard who punched an unhinged female in the face after she aggressively backed him into an office after demanding "reparations" amid a grocery bill topping $1,000 ... and an 80-year-old liquor store owner who gained fame after he shot a hooded, rifle-toting crook — an incident that was caught on surveillance video and showed the assailant turning tail and running out of the store yelling, "He shot my arm off! He shot my arm off!"

'There was quite a bit of a struggle. ... You can see she grabs that vape case and smashes it over his head, and then as as they fall to the ground she grabs a sword and takes a couple swings at him and hits him ...'

In some cases, these store employees working behind the counters and elsewhere own the businesses and feel the loss acutely when thugs steal from them. But in other cases, they don't own the businesses — and you'd figure they have no reason to battle back, but they do anyway because it's the right thing to do, and they care about the people who employ them.

Indeed, they're the best of us. Check out their stories below:

Female Family Dollar clerk fights male who pushes through plexiglass barrier, stabs at her, tries to grab cash from register


A female clerk at a North Carolina Family Dollar fought off a male customer who pushed through a plexiglass barrier, stabbed at her, and tried to grab money from the cash register — and the scary encounter was caught on surveillance video.

The customer at the Sharpsburg store paid for a cigarette lighter with cash about 12:09 p.m. on July 14, 2022, the Rocky Mount Telegram reported. Sharpsburg is about an hour east of Raleigh. When the clerk opened the cash register, surveillance video shows the male push through a plexiglass barrier and stab at the clerk, WRAL-TV reported. The Telegram said he was holding a knife.

The clerk quickly responds by beating back the male with her hands, the station said, adding that police said the male was trying to steal cash from the register. Video shows the male running out of the store after the struggle; the clerk appears to throw something at the male as takes off.

The clerk called 911 and said the suspect was headed north on U.S. 301 toward Rocky Mount, the Telegram said. Rocky Mount is about 10 minutes north of Sharpsburg. The clerk suffered a cut on her hand during the struggle, the Telegram said. Video shows the clerk holding her left hand and signaling for help, WRAL said.

Sharpsburg police quickly caught the suspect, the Telegram said. WRAL said he was arrested the same day the incident took place.

Mohammud Alsaleh, 34, was charged with attempted armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious bodily injury, the Telegram said, adding that he was jailed under a $250,000 bond in the Nash County Detention Center.

'He shot my arm off! He shot my arm off!' 80-year-old liquor store owner lets his shotgun do the talking when hooded crook armed with rifle walks in


After four male suspects wearing facial coverings and hoods pulled up to the Norco Market & Liquor store in California at 2:45 a.m. July 31, 2022, one of them entered the establishment brandishing a rifle. But that didn't scare 80-year-old store owner Craig Cope.

He saw what was happening outside his store on surveillance cameras, KCAL-TV reported, after which Cope armed himself. Surveillance video of the exchange inside the store shows Cope offering a brief warning to the rifle-wielding crook, who does not relent, after which Cope opens fire and finds his target.

The wounded suspect flees back to the vehicle, screaming, "He shot my arm off! He shot my arm off!" You can view a video report about the incident here.

Despite suffering a heart attack after the incident and requiring three stents, Cope returned to work just days later. He told KCAL in a follow-up story that the would-be robber he shot is "in the hospital, in critical condition. So, it must have been a pretty good shot."

Regarding the foiled robbery, Cope told one reporter, "I took care of it, and that was that." Cope's wife, who told KCAL she didn't want to be identified, issued a warning to prospective criminals in the area: "Stay out of Norco, because everybody in Norco has a gun." Norco is just shy of an hour southeast of Los Angeles and about 20 minutes southwest of Riverside.

KABC-TV reported that Cope suffered a stroke in October 2022, and his store's Facebook page announced that he died on the morning of Dec. 27, 2022.

Three of the four male suspects from the incident pleaded guilty Sept. 20, 2023, to six felony charges and were immediately sentenced, the Mercury News reported. Davon Anthony Broadus, 24, Justin Kyle Johnson, 22, and Jamar Elijah Williams, 26, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted robbery, carrying a loaded stolen firearm, possession of an assault weapon, and two counts of receiving stolen property, the Mercury News said, adding that charges of assault with an assault weapon and cruelty to an elder were dropped. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gary Polk sentenced them to five years in custody, the paper said.

The trio drove Rasheed DaShawn Lee Belvin, 23 — the suspect Cope shot — to a hospital, where all of them were arrested, the News said. Neither of Belvin’s arms were shot off, the paper noted. Belvin’s attorney made a motion to have his case diverted to Mental Health Court, where charges could have been dropped after treatment, but the judge denied the motion, the Mercury News reported. Belvin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted robbery, assault with a machine gun or assault weapon, cruelty to an elder, carrying a loaded stolen firearm, illegal possession of an assault weapon, and two counts of receiving stolen property, the Press-Enterprise reported, adding that Polk on Oct. 31, 2023, sentenced Belvin to 10 years in prison.

San Francisco store owners fight back against teenage smash-and-grab robbers who use hammers as weapons. The crooks lose.


Owners of a San Francisco camera store fought back against a trio of teenage smash-and-grab robbers, and even though the crooks used hammers in the fight, they all ran off apparently without any merchandise.

The teens walked into the Chinatown store around 3:20 p.m. on March 21, 2022, and asked about the price of a camera, KPIX-TV reported, adding that they stayed in the store for about three minutes and then departed. The station said they returned about 30 minutes later — but they weren't interested in a transaction.

“All of a sudden, they pulled out a hammer, and they started trying to smash the glass,” shop co-owner Sergio told KPIX. Problem was, the cases behind the counter are plexiglass and wouldn’t break, the station said, adding that one glass countertop case did shatter.

Surveillance video shows one of the store owners grabbing what appears to be a bat or a rod, and he approaches the crooks, two of whom swing hammers at Sergio and the other co-owner.

“One of the guys up there is trying to hit my partner with a hammer,” Sergio told the station. “I run, and I try to grab a bat that I have. Try to protect myself and my business here.”

KPIX said a neighboring business owner ran over to help and was hit in the head with a hammer, after which he needed 10 stitches.

“One of the guys, they put the pepper spray in my eyes,” Sergio added to the station. “The other guy is trying to hit me with a hammer, and I’m trying to protect myself.”

After about a minute, the attempted robbery and hammer attack were over, KPIX said. Video shows the trio running out of the trashed store, apparently without any merchandise.

The station said the store co-owners have been in the camera business for 27 years, but now, they're nervous about coming in to work. "We don’t know them – but they know us because we work over here seven days a week," Ariel, the other co-owner, told KPIX.

Sergio added to the station, "After this, I’m worried, and I’m scared — because God forbid if they come back. Hopefully they [are] not gonna come back. But if they come back with a gun, what happens?”

You can view video of the altercation here. You can also watch a video report about the crime and the aftermath here.

Smoke shop owner fights back, stabs would-be thief: 'I was in a fight or flight mode'


Johnny Nguyen, owner of the Smokestrom Smoke Shop in Las Vegas, was in his store in the middle of the day Aug. 3, 2022, when two individuals wearing ski masks walked in. Surveillance video shows Nguyen asking them, "Why are you guys wearing masks like that?" Nguyen then said, "Can you guys just leave?"

One of the individuals takes a tip jar, and Nguyen says they can take the jar but asks them to leave the coins. Suddenly, one of them jumps over the counter. Nguyen responded by stabbing the would-be thief seven times with a knife while the other individual ran out of the smoke shop.

As he's being stabbed, the would-be thief yells, "I'm dead! I'm dead!" then falls to the floor. Nguyen dragged the crook near the front door; the store owner also called police.

Nguyen told KVVU-TV, "I was in a fight or flight mode… a lot of adrenaline going through my body." He also told the station he plans to purchase a gun for the store in the event his store is robbed again.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said officers arrested two juveniles involved in the attempted robbery. The stabbed would-be robber was taken to a hospital; authorities didn't reveal the suspect's condition. No charges were immediately filed against Nguyen.

Masked thug points gun at female clerk in smoke shop, demands cash and vapes. But she's not about to let him waltz away without a fight.


Dejea Steiner was working behind the counter at the Magic Wizard Smoke Shop in Euclid, Ohio, last summer when a masked individual pointed a gun at her and demanded cash and vapes, WJW-TV reported.

Steiner grabbed a display case to retrieve the items, but she had no intention of complying. “I wanted to get out of that situation, so I did whatever I could,” the 27-year-old told the station.

For starters, Steiner rammed the display case into the robber's face, WJW said, adding that after she and the robber ended up on the floor fighting, Steiner grabbed a sword she remembered was near the cash register and started swinging it. The station said the suspect fired his gun and yelled several times for Steiner to “get back!”

“After the gunshot, I just ran out the door,” Steiner told WJW, adding that she hollered for help. The suspect grabbed several items as well as cash and took off, the station said.

Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer told WJW the suspect is very dangerous — and that Steiner is fortunate to have gotten away from him: “The clerk is just very lucky she wasn’t injured or killed during the incident. I am so glad she is OK.”

The June 27, 2023, incident was captured on surveillance video. “There was quite a bit of a struggle," Euclid Police Capt. Mitch Houser noted to the station. "You can see she grabs that vape case and smashes it over his head, and then as as they fall to the ground she grabs a sword and takes a couple swings at him and hits him — but the sheath was still on, so it didn’t do any damage.”

Steiner told WJW she's all done with violent criminals, saying they've "kind of made people fed up, you know? I come to work every day. The people that own the store, they are struggling, too — and then to see people go out here and do this type of thing and harming people, you know, it's not OK.”

Steiner added to the station that she hopes to become a graphic designer — and she also holds out some hope for the armed crook who took what wasn't his.

“I understand life is hard," she explained to WJW. "It's hard for me. I've been through so much stuff. I'm even considered homeless right now, and I still get up and work. You need to work. We need to all try and help the economy. If you get a second chance at life, please do the right thing.”

Target security guard punches unhinged female in face who reportedly chased him into office after demanding 'reparations' amid $1K grocery bill: 'This is my Rosa Parks moment'


The incident took place in October 2022 in Blue Ash, Ohio, after Karen Ivery asked the Target cashier for the manager regarding her bill of more than $1,000 in groceries and "reparations," the New York Post said, citing a police report.

When speaking with the manager, Ivery first asked for reparations and then grew angry as she walked “aggressively” toward the manager, the Post said, citing the report. “Ivery kept berating her about reparations and her privileged life,” the report said, according to the Post, as the customer continued walking toward the manager.

With that, Zach Cotter — a loss-prevention officer — intervened and asked Ivery to calm down and leave the store, the paper noted, citing the report. But Ivery allegedly began screaming at Cotter and followed him to his office, the Post reported.

When he tried to shut the door, Ivery allegedly forced her way into the office — and Cotter threw a punch, the Post added, citing the report. Ivery fell to the floor after the wallop. You can view video of the punch here.

Later, a rather jaw-dropping scene took place in the office as one of the cops called to the scene tells Ivery that video shows her backing the security guard — who feared for his safety — into an office. She replied that "when people are backed into a corner, they can choose to do the right thing, or they can choose to lash out."

Ivery also claimed she "held the line" and then "moved my line continuously" before accusing store employees of "gatekeeping me." Soon, she was holding aloft her left fist and hollering, "If the laws are meant to hold people down, you will fight for me, my community! You will come for me!"

She added, "People that look like you are done trying to gatekeep people that look like me." Video also shows Ivery telling a police officer, "This is my Rosa Parks moment, dude. Don't play with me."

Authorities determined that Ivery was the “aggressor,” after which she was placed under arrest, the Post said. “Ivery was confrontational with officers on the scene and didn’t want to explain her actions,” the report added, according to the paper.

Ivery was sentenced to a day in jail and charged $110 for disorderly conduct, the Post said, citing the Daily Mail. The Post said a Target spokesperson declined to comment about the incident.

'They're just sick of it': 6 smash-and-grab crooks hit jewelry center, but tenants — some of whom 'feed three families' — fight back to defend their livelihoods


Six black-clad crooks attempted a smash-and-grab robbery at a downtown Los Angeles jewelry center on Sept. 6, 2022, but the tenants — some of whom "feed three families" — weren't having it and fought back against the robbers to defend their livelihoods, KCBS-TV reported. Surveillance video caught the mayhem during the attempted robbery at St. Vincent Jewelry Center; the station said tenants used display cases as barriers and threw objects at the would-be robbers. You can view a video report about the incident here.

"The majority of our tenants have the kind of glass that you can't break, so [the robbers] were not successful," Nejdeh Avedian, general manager of the center, told KCBS. A security guard detained one of the suspects in a nearby parking lot, after which police took the suspect into custody, the station said.

Avedian told KCBS the majority of his tenants are from other countries and put their entire livelihoods on the line for the jewelry they're selling — which Avedian said explains why they fought back. "You know what?" he added to the station. "I think they're just sick of it."

Avedian explained to KCBS that "some of these tenants, they feed three families, so the grandfather, the father, and now the son — so they're not going to just sit there and let people take all this jewelry without doing anything about it."

The jewelry district was established in 1972, but Avedian told the station smash-and-grab robberies have been surging in the jewelry district in the last two years — presumably because consequences for getting caught are minimal.

"There's no repercussion for them," he noted to KCBS. "Their repercussion is, if they get caught, they go to jail; the next day, they're out walking around the streets. We want police to help us, and they are. We're setting up meetings with them. We've been discussing it with them. We just need more help from [Council District]14, from our council member, from our government, to help us with these types of things."

Employees of family-owned jewelry store fight back against hammer-wielding smash-and-grab assailants


Employees of a California jewelry store fought back against hammer-wielding assailants and repelled their smash-and-grab robbery attempt on May 22, 2022.

Video KTLA-TV obtained shows employees at the Princess Bride Diamonds store at the Bella Terra mall in Huntington Beach react quickly to several assailants with hammers running into the store around noon to smash the display cases. You can view KTLA's video report about the incident — which includes surveillance video of the fight — here.

Among the employees were a brother and sister who work for their father. The Baca family has owned the shop for several years.

“We had an idea that it could happen, but it’s always different when it actually does happen,” Dallas Baca said, adding that one suspect hit him in the head with a hammer during the altercation.

“I didn’t even register it until after they left because there was so much like adrenaline going on,” Baca said of the strike to his temple area.

Sarah Baca told KTLA she "picked up a chair" and "hit the one guy in the head that was attacking Lily,” who is another employee.

“I’m just glad everyone’s OK. I’m glad that our team banded together, and we were able to put up a fight and stop what was happening,” she added.

The thieves stole about $7,000 worth of jewelry in the incident, Huntington Beach police spokeswoman Jennifer Carey said.

Other workers in the mall said they were happy the employees fought back.

“I guess they walked in the store, broke some things, but the family fought them off, so good for them, right?” surf shop worker Kyle Sary noted.

NYC jewelry store worker fights back when robbers threaten to kill him if he doesn't open display case. He survives, but crooks get away with $1K in rings.


A New York City jewelry store worker managed to escape injury after he fought back early this year against robbers who threatened to shoot him if he didn't open a display case. The robbers, however, got away with rings valued at $1,000 — and they both changed clothes during their getaway in an effort to evade capture.

Police said the pair watched Ray’s Midtown Jewelry on Lexington Avenue near East 45th Street for about half an hour before entering the store, the New York Daily News reported. Crime Stoppers said it all went down around 5:20 p.m. Jan. 4. One of the robbers racked his gun several times and threatened to shoot the 53-year-old worker if he didn’t open a display case, police told the paper.

But the worker fought back, wrestling with the second robber, who was toting a can of pepper spray, the paper said. With that, the gunman didn't wait on the outcome of the fight and smashed the glass display case with his gun, the Daily News noted.

While the worker wasn't hurt, police told the paper the duo ran off with rings valued at $1,000 — and changed their clothing. However, the Daily News said the gunman, while racking his weapon, left behind ballistic evidence police recovered. Authorities released surveillance images of the suspects and asked the public to help identify them, the paper said.

The Post reported that a man who gave only his first name — Michael — said he entered the jewelry store moments after the armed robbery.

“You could see the glass was smashed all over, and [the owner] was terrified,” Michael — a 57-year-old customer who works in financial services — told the paper. “He’s scared, you know. I mean, he hasn’t opened up since. And you feel bad for the guy because you know this is really killing his business. I mean, he’s got overhead, and he’s afraid to open.”

A clerk at a news stand right next to the jewelry store — who also gave only his first name, Sharif — told the paper he's scared that he'll also become a victim.

“New York City is a big problem now. No security,” the 58-year-old Brooklyn resident told the paper. “It is really getting very bad here. We have a problem. I do not know who comes in, who has a gun. They ask for $100 in [lottery tickets], and then they reach in their jacket, and I am worried they pull out a gun.”

Gun-wielding crook holds up convenience store, but clerk fights back while handing over cash. Crook fires shots — and he miraculously misses.


Valins Cesar opened the Bi-Low Market in Delray Beach, Florida, around 7 a.m. Dec. 5, 2021, and a male he identified as a regular customer walked in soon afterward.

“When he usually comes [in], he says, ‘Hey, brother, how you doing?’ And we would make a joke and stuff,” Cesar recalled to WPBF-TV. But the familiar customer was not in a laughing mood this time — and Cesar told the station the male walked around the counter, pulled out a gun, and pointed it at Cesar’s head.

“He says, ‘Open the register. Give me the money,’” Cesar recounted to WPBF. “I’m like, ‘OK. That’s what you want.’ And I open the register and give him the money.” Surveillance video captured the moment Cesar held the wad of cash and dropped it the crook's bag — as well as the life-and-death decision Cesar made next. Video shows Cesar throwing a fast punch when the gunman appeared to be looking away, and then a struggle broke out. Cesar shoved the gunman backward and through the door that separates the area behind the counter from the rest of the store.

As the gunman stumbled to the floor, he fired a shot into the ceiling, the station said, adding that seconds later, the gunman fired another shot — and this bullet flew past Cesar and hit a box of cigars.

“I didn’t know the gun was real,” Cesar told WPBF, noting his reasons for deciding to fight the gunman. “When he goes down, the gun went off like boom! That’s when I realized the gun is real.”

Other thoughts went through Cesar's mind as well, the station said — and they were all about his wife and children. “I was thinking, 'If I was to die, I mean, who's gonna help them?'” Cesar recounted to WPBF. “I mean, like, the kids need their father.”

Police identified the suspect as Brandon Bryant, who was in police custody, the station said, adding that investigators noted Bryant also is responsible for an armed robbery two days prior at Bodega Delray.

WPBF added that despite the hair-raising incident, which included a bullet flying past him, Cesar didn't miss any work. Why? Because he has a family to feed, he told the station. You can view a video report about the incident here.

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Blaze News original: 10 times sick-of-it-all customers witnessing brazen retail theft stepped up and put stop to it



One crucial generality that most shoplifters have learned in the past several years is that they can pull off retail theft with no resistance from anybody at the scene.

Blaze News has reported numerous stories noting that very scenario. For example, this past Easter Sunday — of all days — a group of looters were caught on video taking whatever they pleased from a Walgreens store in San Francisco, and absolutely no resistance was offered.

'You better put that down before I knock you out.'

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 cell phone 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."

Sometimes, however, upstanding people reach their breaking point and decide enough is enough.

Here's a look at 10 times sick-of-it-all customers witnessing retail theft happening before their eyes stepped up and put a stop to it.

Spunky older woman blocks 'a**hole' shoplifter, yanks off his ski mask, and yells 'enough of this bulls**t' as he exits empty-handed


Global News reported that the Jan. 29, 2022, incident at a Walmart in Campbell River — about four hours northwest of Vancouver, British Columbia — began when a man followed the suspected shoplifter heading for the store exit. The man — who apparently was recording video of the heist — asked the apparent shoplifter if he was planning on paying for the items that filled his cart. You can view a news report about the incident here.

"Yeah," the alleged shoplifter — who was wearing a ski mask — replied. As the suspect grabbed his bike and wheeled it toward the open door, he told a gray-haired woman who arrived there before him "excuse me."

She shouted at him, “Excuse me!” and blocked his path with her shopping cart. With that, the woman got angry and began pulling off the man's apparent disguise — ordering him to "take that f***in' mask off, asshole!" — and hollering that she's seen "enough of this bulls**t!”

The crook put up no fight as the woman pulled his ski mask all the way off, and the man who was recording the incident on video — and perhaps the woman as well — pulled the shopping cart back into the store's lobby. "F*** off, asshole!" the woman exclaimed. "Get out!" The man recording the video told him, "Take your s**t and go."

The woman then yelled it's "you assholes" who "jack up the price for everybody else ... it’s about time they got caught!” The alleged shoplifter left with only his backpack.

Furious customer body-slams, wrestles shoplifting duo outside Walgreens: 'I am way bigger than you, and I will f*** you up!'


A northern California Walgreens customer told KGO-TV he witnessed a male putting bottles of pills into a backpack on March 19, 2022, and decided it was time to act. "I said [to myself], 'This is a time you can make an impact, make this happen,'" the customer — who requested the station use only his first name, Kevin — told the station.

Kevin handed his cell phone to another person in the Alameda store and asked that person to record what was about to happen, the station said. You can view cellphone video of what occurred here. Video shows Kevin on top of the suspected shoplifter, who's dressed in a grey hoodie, and the suspect yells out, "Leave me alone! Leave me alone!" and Kevin can be heard hollering for bystanders to call police.

"I am way bigger than you, and I will f*** you up!" Kevin growls at the suspect. "I am placing you under citizen's arrest!" He also tells the suspected shoplifter that prices are going up because of crooks like him.

KGO said after more than a two-minute struggle, the suspect begins yelling out to a friend, after which a male dressed in blue soon walks up to the scene and gets directly involved.

"He came behind me and tried to get me in a headlock," Kevin told KGO in regard to the second assailant, adding that "I picked him up by the groin and threw him to the ground." Things ended with the suspects running to their nearby getaway car, the station said.

Police told KGO the stolen merchandise was recovered — but the store didn't seek prosecution.

Walmart shopper tackles purportedly drunk shoplifter who crashed into parked car just moments prior


An employee of a Walmart in Federal Way, Washington, tried to stop a male from leaving the store with unpaid merchandise on March 30, 2021, after which the suspect told the worker to "back up" and continued toward the exit, apparently refusing to put down the merchandise.

But a customer approached the suspect and demanded, "You better put that down before I knock you out." The suspect refused to comply, and the unidentified shopper kicked the merchandise from the suspect's hands. The suspect tried to swing at the Good Samaritan, who quickly took the suspect to the ground and subdued him. A Walmart employee intervened as the customer climbed off the suspect's back, and the apparently dazed suspect was able to climb to his feet.

Authorities arrested 29-year-old Troy K. Robinson on charges of DUI, hit and run, and attempted theft in the third degree, the Daily Mail reported, adding that Federal Way Police Commander Kurt Schwan said, "Robinson had entered the business and was attempting to shoplift when confronted by store employees."

Robinson, according to Schwan, reportedly "threatened to assault anyone who touched him ... that is when a 21-year-old male community member stepped in and confronted Robinson ... when officers arrived, they located Robinson in the parking lot and detained him." You can view a news report about the incident here.

Good Samaritan customer all done playing, brutally throws apparent TJ Maxx shoplifter into security gate after physical struggle over bags


The customer became involved when two women tried to exit a T.J. Maxx in Mira Loma, California, while carrying armfuls of merchandise, KABC-TV reported, adding that a witness said the altercation occurred about 1:30 p.m. April 30, 2023. You can view a video report about the incident here.

While one of the women got out of the store before the Good Samaritan could step into action, her apparent partner in crime — who was trailing behind — wasn't so lucky. The man got between the second woman and the store's exit and grabbed the bags she was toting as she attempted to get away — and she hit the much larger man in the face twice. Eventually, the alleged shoplifter was able to get away — but without the two bags she apparently tried to take, KABC said, adding that while law enforcement made a report, no arrest took place at the time.

Frustrated Target shopper steps in to stop thief, rips bin from his hands: 'Stop that s**t, man! Get a f***ing job!'


Video shows 28-year-old Samuel Balcorta of San Francisco carrying a bin of stolen items through the exit doors of a Bay Area Target on March 16, 2022, when an unarmed shopper approached him, ripped the bin from his hands, and yelled, "Stop that s**t, man! Get a f***ing job!" You can view video of the confrontation here.

Colma police said the shopper who intervened soon after called police, which led to Balcorta's arrest. It was later revealed that Balcorta was out on bail for a prior felony charge at the time of the incident, and this time he was booked on burglary and grand theft charges as well as an additional felony charge for committing a felony while out on bail.

Crook likely assumes he pulled off jewelry heist — until plucky patrons pin perp to pavement


A male dressed in a suit walked into Marina Jewelers in Scottsdale, Arizona, around 11:40 a.m. Sept. 1, 2023, and then allegedly snatched a tray of expensive items and tried to flee the store. But two patrons thwarted the deed. Police identified the suspect as 53-year-old Troy Bell.

"On his way out the door, he encountered two brave men who were entering the jeweler's and tried to stop him,” police said in a news release, according to the Daily Independent. "The three reportedly got into a fight which ultimately resulted in Bell being detained by the two men, and some other helpers."

An onlooker captured video, which you can view here, of the bystanders chasing and eventually pinning the alleged robber to the ground. Within minutes, police arrived and made the arrest; Bell was charged with shoplifting, assault, and failure to provide a truthful name. All of the jewelry, said to be worth thousands of dollars, was recovered.

Jiu-jitsu black belt takes down alleged violent thief in Chicago 7-Eleven — then livestreams himself pinning male to floor until cops arrive


Idriz Redzovic, a third-degree Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt, took down an alleged violent thief in a Chicago 7-Eleven on June 16, 2022 — and then took out his cell phone and began recording live video of him pinning the man to the floor until police arrived, WFLD-TV reported. You can view a news report about the incident here.

Redzovic — who runs Supreme Academy of Jiu-Jitsu in Lincoln Park — went to the 7-Eleven on Ashland and Lawrence to buy Slurpees for his kids, the station said. But the black belt with 22 years of self-defense training noticed a man harassing people outside the store, WFLD noted.

"He comes up to me and says, ‘What are you looking at?'" Redzovic recalled to the station. "In my training I tell people to take a step back, hands up, don’t engage unless you feel safe."

Redzovic told WFLD he continued to watch the man, who soon made his way into the store and then appeared to attack an employee — a moment that was caught on surveillance video. Then it was game over.

"Once I saw him actually connect and hit the employee in his head, I jumped in, grabbed him like I do in training here, put him down, flattened him like a pancake, and then I tied him up like a pretzel in a position called ‘Gift Wrap’ or ‘Twisting Arm Control,’" Redzovic recounted to the station.

Redzovic then took out his cell phone and began livestreaming himself keeping the man subdued — for 18 minutes, WFLD said. Arriving officers arrested 30-year-old Christopher Cruz and charged him with two misdemeanor counts of retail theft and battery, the station said.

Marine Corps veteran calmly disarms gun-toting, would-be store robber in seconds — and sends his accomplices running for their lives


The veteran remained calm when a trio of would-be robbers — one of them armed — stormed into a Chevron gas station convenience store in Yuma County, Arizona, on the morning of Oct. 20, 2021, KSAZ-TV reported.

As one of the suspects flashed a handgun and pointed it at the cashier, the veteran quickly grabbed the weapon and twisted the suspect's arm, appearing to drive the suspect to the ground. Two other suspects who entered the store behind their armed partner fled the scene in shock and fear. One can be seen falling to the ground before running away as if his life depended on it. The veteran was able to pin down the previously armed suspect until deputies arrived. (=You can view a news report about the incident — which includes surveillance video from the store — here.

The suspect was arrested and booked into the Yuma County Juvenile Justice Center for armed robbery and aggravated assault. The other two suspects reportedly got away and were still on the loose at the time of the report. When sheriff's deputies asked the veteran how he was able to take control of the situation, he reportedly replied, "The Marine Corps taught me not to [mess] around."

Six days later, the Yuma County Sheriff's Office presented the veteran — James Kilcer — with its Citizens Valor Award for his actions. Kilcer wore a "Make America Great Again" hat and a "Let's Go Brandon" T-shirt to the ceremony.

As readers of Blaze News know by now, "Let's Go Brandon" is a subtle variation of the chant "F*** Joe Biden," which had just started to gain popularity at the time after an NBC reporter incorrectly insisted that fans in the stands at a NASCAR race were chanting the former rather than the latter.

Theft from Alabama Tractor Supply store skids to a halt as armed customer blows out getaway car's tire: 'Everyone is walking around with guns in Theodore'


Two men attempted a broad-daylight theft from an Alabama Tractor Supply store on Black Friday 2022 — Nov. 25 — but some customers weren't having a bit of it, including one who pulled out his gun and blew out at least one tire on the getaway vehicle.

Witnesses said the two men were trying to steal merchandise from a Tractor Supply Co. location in Theodore on Friday morning, WPMI-TV reported. Theodore is about 15 minutes southwest of Mobile. Ryan Maxie and his fiancée, Katie Clark, were in the store's parking lot when they heard shots after two men loaded up a shopping cart with unpaid merchandise, WPMI said.

Witnesses told the station a customer pulled one of the suspects, Toby Priest, out of the getaway SUV. The other suspect, Troy Brown, was able to take off in the vehicle — but was stopped when a different customer shot out at least one of the vehicle's tires, WPMI said. Police soon found the getaway SUV abandoned on Highway 90 at the Interstate 10 entrance — with at least one flat tire, the station said.

Brown and Priest were booked into Mobile Metro Jail and were being charged with third-degree felony theft, the station said. Maxie shared some advice for crooks who try their luck in his neck of the woods, WPMI noted: "Everyone is walking around with guns in Theodore." You can view a news video about the incident here.

Customer — as he's holding six-pack of Miller Lite — fires gun at armed robber in store and ends threat 


Surveillance video shows a man dressed in black and wearing a black face mask enter the Stone Lake Marathon Mini Mart in Cassopolis, Michigan, on July 27, 2023. Police said the suspect announced himself to the clerk by saying, "You know why I’m here."

A customer appeared to be going to the register with a six-pack of Miller Lite just as the suspect went behind the counter to reportedly threaten the store clerk. However, the customer holding the beer took out his gun — for which he has a valid concealed carry permit — and shot the would-be robber. The customer fired three shots, then moved to the side of the counter and shot three more times. He then fired a seventh shot at the suspected thief. The customer reportedly shot the suspect in the arm, back, and face — and held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived. You can view a video report about the incident here.

While the suspected would-be robber didn't have a gun, police said he did threaten the clerk with a box cutter. The suspect was identified in court records as 35-year-old Cordelius Anthony Martin; he was released from a hospital on Aug. 16 and charged with armed robbery. Martin — reportedly a three-time felon, meaning he could face up to life in prison for the attempted robbery — was being held on a $100,000 bond.

The store clerk told WOOD-TV that the armed customer "saved my life."

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Former Big Lots manager says he was fired after following shoplifter outside store in an attempt to help cops locate suspect



A former manager at a Big Lots store in the Rochester, New York, area said he was fired after following a shoplifter — who took a swing at an employee — outside the store and into the parking lot to help police locate the suspect.

Pat Guider told WHEC-TV during an interview at his Irondequoit home that he saw the shoplifter take a swing at his assistant manager during the May 10 incident: “What I saw is that he took a swing, like a punch at [the assistant manager],” Guider said while making an uppercut motion with a clenched fist.

'The good thing is we have a huge faith in God, a huge faith in God, and everything will work out. It’s just going to be difficult.'

Guider also told WHEC that’s the only reason he followed the shoplifter out of the store: “I let people who shoplift leave the store every day. Every day. We just put it in the system like they ask us to do. This was an assault. This wasn’t shoplifting. This was an assault.”

Guider told the station he followed the male at a distance through the parking lot of the store while relaying his location to 911 so police might catch the suspect.

The suspect got away — and Guider told WHEC he was fired over the incident.

“I thought I was doing the right thing,” he told the station.

— (@)

Guider told WHEC that on May 29 he was called to his district manager’s office and fired over the incident — despite 20 years with the company and a positive review in March.

The station in its interview with Guider asked him, “Do you think you did the right thing?”

Guider replied to WHEC, “I think I did the right and just thing. The right and just thing.”

The station said its reporter found no phone number for Big Lots' CEO or communication chief, so the reporter emailed the company on Tuesday — and then Wednesday and then on Friday — but Big Lots had not responded as of the story's publication.

WHEC said a poster in the Big Lots lunchroom warns employees to “never leave the store to pursue, detain, or identify a customer.”

The station's reporter asked labor lawyer Paul Keneally at Underberg & Kessler how Guider could have been fired for trying "to help police track down a shoplifter ... how does that happen?”

Keneally told WHEC "the company is probably considering the liability of any sort of interaction between the perpetrator and store employee.”

The attorney added to the station that likely explains why Big Lots has "a rule in place that the employees are not to do anything, and it’s unfortunate because it sounds like this person was trying to do the right thing."

Guider told WHEC, "I did not put myself in jeopardy. I did not put any shoppers in jeopardy."

Now without a job — and with two sons in college — Guider noted to the station that he and his wife are trying to figure out how to get health insurance. What's more, at age 62, Guider added to WHEC he's not sure how easy it will be to find another job.

“The good thing is we have a huge faith in God, a huge faith in God, and everything will work out," he noted to the station. "It’s just going to be difficult. It’s going to be difficult."

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Crime-ridden San Francisco opens 'free' taxpayer-funded grocery store



Crime-ridden San Francisco recently opened its first “Food Empowerment Market,” which offers residents “free” groceries funded by taxpayers.

A Tuesday press release from Mayor London Breed’s (D) office announced the grand opening of the District 10 Community Market in Bayview-Hunters Point. The 4,000-square foot store is part of a pilot program providing “free and healthy multi-cultural groceries” to residents “experiencing food insecurity in the Southeast corridor of the City.”

'If we didn’t tell you it was free you’d think you’d have to pay.'

San Francisco Human Services Agency granted Bayview Hunters Point Multipurpose Senior Services a $5.5 million taxpayer-funded grant to stock the market with fresh produce. According to the city, the market will serve approximately 4,500 residents.

Breed called the grand opening of the pilot location “a major step toward improving food access in a part of the City that has historically been a food desert.”

“Equitable access to fresh and healthy food options is critical for communities to thrive and to ensure we take care of the City’s most vulnerable residents,” Breed added.

Many grocery stores in the area have shuttered in large part due to high crime, particularly retail theft fueled by the rampant drug use and homelessness crisis. The closures recently prompted progressive lawmakers to propose a bill allowing residents to sue grocery stores that shutter without providing the community with a six-month notice.

The market is open to residents of three San Francisco zip codes who receive public assistance, are referred by a community organization, and have dependents under 25 or have a qualified diet-related illness.

Eligible residents will receive a grocery card from a nonprofit within the market’s referral network. Unlike food banks, which offer pre-packaged kits, residents will be able to peruse the aisles and select the groceries they would like.

In addition to the taxpayer-funded grant, the market also relies on donations from grocery stores for shelf-stable items, the Center Square reported.

Trent Rhorer, the executive director of SFHSA, stated, “Food Empowerment Markets, like the Community Market pilot that we are celebrating today, provide dignity and choice for people who experience food insecurity.”

“By offering families and people with dietary restrictions the ability to choose healthy and culturally appropriate food options for themselves, rather than receiving food boxes that may not be tailored to their individual food choices and needs, we minimize food waste while also providing a better experience for residents,” Rhorer remarked.

Geoffrea Morris, a senior consultant for the District 10 Market, told the Center Square that the market is meant to serve as “a supplemental source for food.”

“Food stamps should be the primary source. This is a supplemental source especially close to the end of the month when families are facing the pain, especially with inflation,” Morris stated. “If we didn’t tell you it was free you’d think you’d have to pay.”

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NYPD raids open-air market run by illegal migrants selling stolen goods — but makes no arrests



New York Police Department officers raided an open-air market run by illegal migrants on Roosevelt Avenue near 91 Street in Jackson Heights, the New York Post reported.

A day before the raid, the Post published an exposé on the illicit street market, where migrants have been selling stolen goods at discounted prices. Most of the items were snagged off the shelves of nearby businesses, which have been complaining about an uptick in shoplifting. Merchants and residents have made more than two dozen calls to 311 this year to report the illegal activity in the area.

Each morning for several months, migrants have been laying blankets and towels on the street to display the stolen goods for sale. The items range from power tools to hygiene products. Tags belonging to the merchant from which the ill-gotten goods were stolen remain on some of the items.

The block has also become overrun by illicit brothels, with sex workers roaming the streets in search of customers.

The Post reported that NYPD officers raided the street market on Monday after 4:30 p.m. and seized some of the stolen merchandise.

NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said, "We responded today."

"We've been here before, whether it be brothels, illegal bikes, vending now. So, this will be a continuing process. It's gonna take a while but we owe it to the residents of Queens," he explained.

According to the news outlet, spotters informed many of the illegal vendors about the impending raid, affording them enough time to flee the scene before officers arrived. Prostitutes were reportedly seen ducking into nearby buildings to avoid police.

A spokesperson for the NYPD told the Post that no arrests were made as a result of the Monday raid.

One neighbor said the illegal market would be back up and running after police leave the area.

"They'll be back. No question," the resident told the news outlet. "The TV cameras and the cops ran them off today, but they'll all be back tonight."

Milton Reyes, who manages a pharmacy on the block, told the Post earlier this week that the situation is "relentless."

"[Police] will come by and they will pick up a few of them. But as soon as the police car pulls away, they start moving back. Twenty minutes later, they're all set up again like nothing happened," Reyes remarked.

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Illegal migrants take over NYC block with prostitution, open-air market selling stolen goods



Illegal migrants have recently taken over a block in New York City and turned it into an open-air market, selling stolen goods at deep discounts, the New York Post reported.

Roosevelt Avenue near 91st Street in Jackson Heights has been turned into an illicit market where migrants sell everything from mouthwash to power tools stolen from local merchants.

Migrants arrive each morning with suitcases filled with ill-gotten items that they ransacked from local establishments. Many sellers display the items for sale by laying them on a blanket on the sidewalk, offering 20% to 30% discounts.

Francisco O’Porta, a security guard for a local department store, told the news outlet that the migrants are stealing from his employer.

“They rip it out of the box, but it’s ours. You can see. It is brand-new, but they are selling it as used. It’s our stuff,” O’Porta remarked.

“They have been training people,” he continued. “They have lookouts, you know, people to yell so they can pick up and leave when police come. I am catching a lot, a lot of them stealing. I caught 20 people last week. Twenty in one week. They are hurting business.”

Milton Reyes, who manages a pharmacy on Roosevelt Avenue, told the Post that the issues in the area are “relentless.”

“You should see it on Saturdays. It’s so heavy, you can’t even step onto the sidewalk. There are a lot of doctors’ offices right around here, and my customers don’t even want to get dropped off,” Reyes stated.

He noted that he does not blame local law enforcement for the issues.

“They will come by and they will pick up a few of them. But as soon as the police car pulls away, they start moving back. Twenty minutes later, they’re all set up again like nothing happened,” Reyes explained.

For months, residents have complained about sex workers standing along the street propositioning those who pass by. The Post reported that several buildings in the area are functioning as brothels.

Earlier this year, police closed down a dozen establishments that were being used for prostitution. However, the illegal activity has continued.

One source told the Post, “Roosevelt Avenue is the microcosm — a perfect storm composed of lunatic legislation that prevents enforcement of laws and the subsequent punitive results.”

“Add to that waves of people with nothing to lose and you have criminality and degradation in quality of life for the community — and the city as a whole,” the source added.

Zhou H., a local, told the news outlet that the open-air market has expanded within the last year.

“I don’t know what’s ever going to get rid of this,” Zhou said. “It’s like a sub-economy. Everybody buys from these guys. There was a few, mostly at night. Kind of like a bazaar. About a year ago, it built up.

“But I thought, these people aren’t getting the kind of opportunities, they need to feed themselves, you know, they’re trying to survive, so, whatever,” he stated. “About a year ago, there’s five of them, starting at 10 in the morning. Then 10 of them and then there’s 20 of them all day. At night? Forget about it!

Zhou noted that the illegal activity in the area has “just become normal.”

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Ron DeSantis Signs Legislation Cracking Down On Retail Theft, ‘Porch Piracy’

'Held accountable when they break the law'