Flash Mob Steals Thousands of Dollars in Power Tools from California Home Depot

A flash mob stole thousands of dollars in power tools from a Home Depot in Long Beach, California, continuing the epidemic of organized retail theft.

Video of the incident began circulating on the internet, which showed masked thieves at a Home Depot loading up on boxes that “appear to be red Milwaukee brand power tools into carts or their arms and leaving the store; two employees in orange aprons can be seen standing nearby, seemingly not sure how to respond,” according to LBPost.

“Signal Hill Police Department Lt. Kelli Crigler confirmed via email on Monday that officers were dispatched to the store around 6:03 p.m. Sunday and took a report of a robbery that involved “approximately seven unknown males, who stole approximately $5,000 worth of power tools,” noted the outlet.

The robbery in Long Beach comes amid a severe crime wave in the state of California, where multiple department stores have fallen prey to these types of smash-and-grab robberies. As Breitbart News reported this week, masked thieves in Pasadena, California, looted $500,000 in merchandise from a jewelry store after pepper-spraying the owner, Sam Babikian.

“As soon as I opened the door, I got pepper sprayed right in my eye, my throat, my mouth,” Babikian said. “I couldn’t see anything. Then (all) I could hear was smashing and grabbing.”

“Most of my merchandise is gone,” he added. “Most of the showcases are empty. This one hurts. I’m very grateful they did not harm me, they did not fight. Thank God that nothing happened to me and I’m still alive.”

In the city of Los Angeles, Democrat Mayor Karen Bass rejected the ongoing conservative argument that a lack of consequence has been fueling the crime epidemic.

“I think there [are] a lot of misunderstandings about that. These are felonies, and in some cases … these are crimes that do have major consequences. The reforms that people object to have nothing, nothing to do with these crimes,” she said.

Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.