On Wednesday, several people faced criminal charges after a night of social media-fueled uproar in which groups of thieves, apparently working together, smashed their way into retail stores in several areas of Philadelphia, stuffing plastic bags with merchandise and fleeing.
Police said they made at least 52 arrests, according to a report by Associated Press. Burglary, theft and other counts have been filed so far against at least 30 people, all but three of them adults, the report cited Jane Roh, spokesperson for the Philadelphia district attorney’s office, as saying.
While much of the activity was focused in Center City, reportedly there was also looting in North Philadelphia and Northeast Philadelphia.
Videos on social media showed masked people in hoodies running down the street and into several stores including Apple Store, Lululemon and Foot Locker. In one of the videos that has now gone viral on social media, a number of iPhones and other Apple products were being stolen from an Apple store. In the video, one can also hear people shouting, “Free iPhones”.
The flash mob-style ransacking Tuesday night came after a peaceful protest over a judge’s decision to dismiss murder and other charges against a Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver, Eddie Irizarry, through a rolled-up window.
However, Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford at a news conference said that those doing the ransacking were not affiliated with the protest, according to the AP report. He called the group “a bunch of criminal opportunists.”
18 state-run liquor stores were broken into, leading the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to close all 48 of its Philadelphia retail locations and one in suburban Cheltenham on Wednesday.
The stores were “closed in the interest of employee safety and while we assess the damage and loss that occurred. We will reopen stores when it is safe to do so and when the damage is repaired,” liquor board spokesperson Shawn Kelly said.
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