NEW DELHI: More than a hundred masked teenagers unleashed havoc in stores within Philadelphia‘s Central City, stuffing plastic bags with merchandise and fleeing. At least 15 to 20 teenagers involved in looting have been arrested.
Philadelphia police swiftly responded to reports of extensive looting occurring in renowned stores such as the Apple Store, Lululemon, and Footlocker in the City of Brotherly Love, AP reported. The police has also recovered two firearms from the teenagers.
According to AP, an Apple store was hit at around 8 pm Tuesday and police chased fleeing teenagers, recovering dropped iPhones and a “pile of iPads” at one spot.
No immediate injuries were reported, but CBS Philadelphia noted that a security guard was assaulted at the Foot Locker.
The spree of flash mob-style looting followed a preceding peaceful protest, sparked by a judge’s decision on Tuesday to dismiss murder and other charges against a Philadelphia police officer who had fatally shot a driver, Eddie Irizarry.
However, according to officials, as reported by CBS Philadelphia, the store looting appeared to be unrelated to the protests.
These thefts coincided with the announcement by Target that it would be closing nine stores in four states. This includes one store in New York City’s East Harlem neighborhood and three in the San Francisco Bay Area. Target cited the threat posed by theft and organized retail crime to the safety of its employees and customers as the reason for these closures.
(With agency inputs)