Recently in the crumbling state of California, a mob of criminals looted a Nordstrom in broad daylight, making away with up to $100k in stolen merchandise. The incident appears to support the claims of famous rapper 50 Cent, who claimed Los Angeles was “finished” after the city reinstated a “zero bail” policy.
A mob of dozens of individuals ransacked the department store in Topanga Mall around 4 p.m. on Saturday. Dressed in black hoodies and masks, the thieves chaotically trash the store while grabbing as much merchandise as possible. Security measures were utterly ineffective at preventing the smash-and-grab, and police showed up after the fact, only to find the department store destroyed.
“To criminals, it is just property taken,” according to a Los Angeles Police Department statement. “To those who live in the area and patronize the Topanga Mall, it is a loss of feeling safe. The LAPD will exhaust all efforts to bring those responsible into custody and seek criminal prosecution,” as reported on Fox News.
“LA is finished watch how bad it gets out there.SMH 👀#bransoncognac #lecheminduroi,” 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, said in a social media post. Since the looting of the Nordstrom, the rapper has doubled down on his claims, stating, “I told you LA was finished. they are gonna have to lock the doors, appointment only. SMH.”
Similar to 50 Cent, a police union recently spoke out criticizing the zero cash bail policy, blaming it for events such as the Nordstrom looting. “The elimination of cash bail for these types of offenses is really an invitation to these kind of folks who are inclined to break the law and inclined to do it so brazenly, to push them over to say, ‘hey, if I was to get caught, I’m going to be right back out again,'” Los Angeles Police Protective League spokesperson Tom Saggau said.
“What we’re seeing in Los Angeles is that very high-end items [are stolen] because there is just a huge resale market for them,” he continued, speaking on the rampant retail theft in Los Angeles. “It’s really difficult for a short-staffed police department to track all those types of things down.”
Reportedly, the Los Angeles Police Department is struggling to recruit enough officers, where the police force shrank by approximately 9,000 officers this year. According to LAPD Chief Michel Moore, “I do believe that bail acts as a general deterrence. It creates consequences. You face a risk of being incarcerated as a punishment.”
Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna spoke about the rising number of arrested criminals in Los Angeles County who are being released and committing more crimes. “That’s concerning. There’s individuals here that have been released on zero bail then turned around and committed murder, in the last several weeks,” Luna said.
Saggau criticized District Attorney George Gascón, who has been known for soft-on-crime approaches. “He’s comfortable with a stern talking to a warm hug and milk and cookies before some of these crooks go to bed,” Saggau said. “It’s the worst type of appeasement, and it’s unfortunate, but I know that the folks that are working to try and capture these criminals.”
Watch captured video of the incident.
Photo: screenshot from the embedded video.
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