A group of ruthless thieves carried out a brazen heist after smashing the front door of a local convenience store in LA County amid another lawless street takeover early Monday.
Atlas Fuel in Bellflower was hit around 2:45 a.m. Monday as a street takeover unfolded nearby, with vehicles spilling onto Artesia Boulevard reportedly blocking the surrounding streets and intersections.
Surveillance footage shared by Eyewitness News showed two individuals in black hoodies with their faces covered appearing at the store’s entry and one of them using a sledgehammer to shatter glass door.
The store’s worker, alone at the time of the incident, tried to scare the thugs away with a dustpan and a broom. For a brief moment, it looked like he had succeeded but dozens of reckless thieves swarmed the store within minutes.
Realizing that he won’t be able to fight them off, the worker quickly went behind the bulletproof partition. He closed the transparent partition right as one masked person tried to reach the register.
The group ransacked the store within minutes –– stealing away anything they could find including snacks, drinks and candies.
“Their plan was to vandalize everything inside the store. They tried to take the ATM. Everything happened in 30 seconds or one minute and then they left,” the shop’s owner, who requested anonymity, told ABC News.
The raid is the latest in a string of brazen smash-and-grabs tied to illegal street takeovers that have plagued Los Angeles in recent weeks.
A mob of around 20 thieves carried out a similar heist at a Superior Grocers store in South Los Angeles early Sunday. The break-in unfolded around 4:30 a.m. near Manchester Avenue and San Pedro Street, during an illegal street takeover.
During a pair of separate street takeovers late Sunday night, masked burglars targeted two Southern California businesses, including a pharmacy hit after a crowd of about 100 gathered in the area.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the first burglary occurred around 11 p.m. at Lorena Pharmacy on the 3400 block of Whittier Boulevard in Boyle Heights.
Less than two miles away, a second business was hit just minutes later. Around 11:15 p.m., officers responded to a Jack in the Box near South Downey Road and East Olympic Boulevard in East Los Angeles, where another street takeover was underway.
Footage from the scene captured two suspects using a saw to slice through the entrance before allegedly escaping with baskets packed with stolen goods.
Less than two weeks ago, thugs had looted family-owned A-Z Market in Bellflower and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department estimated the combined value of the stolen inventory and property damage to be nearly $30,000.
Images shared by the owners show the store completely torn apart. Drawers had been emptied onto the floor, shelves were stripped and merchandise — including candy, food and other products — was scattered throughout the business.
