A 13-year-old boy was charged with being behind the wheel of a car that crashed through the front door of a small California bakery and led at least 100 people to ransack it in an illegal street occupation earlier this month.
The 13-year-old boy, whose name has not been released because of his age, was one of five people arrested in connection with the Jan. 2 looting of Reuben's Bakery & Mexican Food. According to KTLA.
Surveillance camera footage showed a white KIA, later identified by police as a stolen vehicle, backing into a store in Compton and “ramming the security gate multiple times until it was able to get through.” Ta.
“Once the gate was breached, multiple individuals were seen on camera entering and robbing the store.'' Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a press conference on tuesday.
Authorities initially estimated damages and property losses at $40,000.
Acting on a search warrant, detectives arrested the boy on January 12 in Los Angeles.
The boy was charged with robbery, felony criminal damage to property, operating a vehicle without the owner's consent and inciting a riot, Luna said.
He was cited and released to his family pending a court date.
Hours after his release, the 13-year-old boy participated in a series of robberies across the county, one in Compton and one in Carson.
The boy was part of a group of four who attempted to rob a 7-Eleven, but during the armed robbery, a sheriff's deputy entered the convenience store without his knowledge.
The boy was arrested and is being held in a juvenile detention center. Luna announced.
The Sheriff's Office executed three more search warrants Tuesday morning, resulting in the arrest of four people charged with robbery and possession of stolen property stemming from the bakery theft.
Three of the suspects are in custody, Luna said, while a fourth was arrested and later released.
“When people saw the crime that happened at this bakery, I was probably as angry as I personally felt,” Luna said. “When you see all these people breaking into this (family-run) business;
“Personally, I was outraged to see these people invade this business,” Luna said. “When we say business, we mean the family that has owned this business for many years.”
“Observe the large number of people who did exactly what they saw, without regard for the property or industry of others.”
Ruben Ramirez Jr., who runs the family business after his father opened it nearly half a century ago, was furious at the lack of accountability among the looters.
“We were just feeling frustrated. We felt that given everything that's going on, maybe this is a sign that we need to close down our business. But here we are and we're ready to reopen.” And we're getting through this,” Ramirez Jr. said. told reporters After the press conference.
We're not going anywhere, we've been here for 48 years for the community, and we'll be here for another 48 years. ”
