Vandals participating in the widespread riots in response to the killing of George Floyd commandeered at least one reach forklift to break into a Best Buy in the city of Fairfield, CA, during daylight hours yesterday, several videos show.
Several people captured the incident in videos posted on YouTube, Twitter, and other social media outlets.
On Tuesday, the Live Universal Awareness Map (Liveuamap), an independent global news outlet that monitors conflicts, protests, and terrorism around the world, noted that the vandals used two reach forklifts to smash into Best Buy.
“Officers said the looting started even before sundown when a large crowd gathered to gain access to two forklifts and rammed them through the front door of a Best Buy, KCRA-TV, the local NBC News affiliate in Sacramento, reported, echoing Liveumap.
Police reportedly began monitoring the incident, which took place at the Solano Town Center in Fairfield, soon after the destruction of the Best Buy. Fairfield is in Solano County.
Law enforcement officers were reportedly able to get to the store before the looting began.
Shortly after looters drove at least one of the crane-like reach forklifts into the store, “you can hear a siren in the background, and the group of people start running away from the store,” the local Fox 40 News outlet reported.
“Police swarmed the parking lot before anybody could get inside,” KCRA added.
Officers were reportedly responding to multiple reports of looting at the Solano Town Center and beyond on Monday.
Looters targeted up to 20 businesses in the area, namely pharmacies as well as mobile phone. electronics, and liquor stores.
Citing law enforcement, KCRA said the criminals were moving from store to store in cars.
Floyd died on Monday after a now-fired white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneed his neck for several minutes. Two independent autopsies have deemed his death a homicide. Before the results of those autopsies came to light, authorities charged Chauvin with manslaughter and third-degree murder.
Protests that have devolved into rioting and looting, mostly at night, have been raging in dozens of cities across America, prompting officials to call in the National Guard to assist law enforcement.