A group of approximately 20 bicycle-riding thieves ransacked three separate 7-Eleven stores in the Hollywood area on Friday night, just hours after Governor Gavin Newsom signed a significant legislative package aimed at cracking down on retail thefts. The incidents occurred within a span of 20 minutes, with the first store on West Sunset Boulevard being targeted shortly after 8 p.m., resulting in a broken window. The mob then moved on to a second store near Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, where an employee was allegedly assaulted around 8:16 p.m. The final store on Santa Monica Boulevard was hit at 8:22 p.m.
Thieves hit 3 7-Eleven stores in 20 mins, hours after Newsom signed ‘smash-and-grab’ tackling bills https://t.co/1QPHYhv5QK #FoxNews This would be the USA if @GavinNewsom becomes @POTUS. #California is a dumpster bin full of criminals and homeless.
— ProudToBe-MAGA (@srhooven) August 17, 2024
This recent string of smash-and-grab thefts has become a growing concern in California, where shoplifting and commercial burglary rates have seen significant increases in recent years. Between 2019 and 2022, the state experienced a 22% rise in shoplifting incidents and notable upticks in commercial burglary and robbery. These brazen acts have placed pressure on local and state politicians, especially in light of the newly signed bipartisan legislation by Governor Newsom.
The “landmark” legislation imposes tougher penalties on serial shoplifters, retail thieves, and auto burglars, allowing for the aggregation of stolen goods across different victims and counties to meet the threshold for felony grand theft, which in California is defined as stealing items valued over $950. Newsom emphasized the importance of these new laws, describing them as the most significant measures to address property crime in the state’s modern history.
NEW: California Astronauts ransacked THREE 7-Eleven stores in under 20 minutes, just hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new package to crack down on retail thefts
About 20 thugs on bicycles targeted convenience stores in Hollywood on Friday night
The thieves broke into each… pic.twitter.com/yv1U0sj8iR
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) August 17, 2024
Key Points:
i. A group of bicycle-riding thieves targeted three 7-Eleven stores in Hollywood within 20 minutes, stealing items and causing damage.
ii. The incidents occurred just hours after Governor Gavin Newsom signed new legislation to crack down on retail theft.
iii. California has seen significant increases in shoplifting and commercial burglary rates in recent years.
iv. The new law imposes tougher penalties on serial shoplifters and allows for the aggregation of stolen goods across different counties.
v. The recent thefts underscore the ongoing challenge of combating retail crime in California.
Fallon Jacobson – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
