It’s could be past brazen — if it hadn’t already occurred earlier than.
Based on a information launch from the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Division, Dec. 17 theft on the Chanel retailer within the upscale DCCityCenter was carried out by a gang armed with a fireplace extinguisher.
The discharge said that “at roughly 5:30 p.m., 5 suspects entered a retail retailer” and set off the fireplace extinguisher as a distraction.
“One of many suspects discharged a fireplace extinguisher a number of occasions with its contents hanging a Particular Police Officer whereas the opposite suspects took merchandise from the shop,” the launch said.
“The suspects then fled the scene” in a white sedan.
Based on Fox Information, the gang made off with roughly $250,000 value of merchandise from the luxurious retailer.
Gang of thieves hit Chanel retailer in Washington DC, set off hearth extinguisher, and proceed to steal $250,000 value of merchandise. pic.twitter.com/OUVWJb984f
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) December 21, 2023
A safety officer fired a shot on the thieves as they have been leaving, WRC-TV reported.
“That spherical didn’t take impact. Presently, we would not have any property injury, nor do we’ve got any reported accidents,” MPD Commander Tatjana Savoy informed the station.
“We now have our inner affairs on scene they usually’re combing via, after all, interviews and video footage.”
And — would you imagine it? — this isn’t the primary time that the identical retailer has been robbed in the identical method.
“The identical Chanel was robbed again in February,” WRC reported.
“A flash mob in that incident additionally set off a fireplace extinguisher to create a distraction.”
The case stays “an ongoing investigation,” in accordance with WTTG-TV.
One usually associates smash-and-grab robberies with California, which — because of lax regulation enforcement and beneficiant legal guidelines relating to theft of any kind — has develop into the state synonymous with the act.
San Francisco Chinatown digital camera store focused in a smash & seize alongside Grant Avenue.
The store proprietor was pepper-sprayed and an worker on the retailer next-door was hit with a steel rod. A number of cameras taken.
(1/3) #SanFrancisco pic.twitter.com/8I8eFvvLED— Dion Lim (@DionLimTV) March 21, 2022
California Nordstrom ransacked in big ‘flash mob’ smash-and-grab, $60K to $100K in items taken: policehttps://t.co/fnd9V4allW
That is what occurs when
you don’t implement the regulation weak DA’s. How lengthy earlier than Nordstrom leaves Los Angeles, like they did in San Francisco?— Sierra1bushcraft (@coapann) August 14, 2023
Chicago, too, is one other well-liked scene for the crime:
One other video-Looters hit @LouisVuitton and different Union Sq. luxurious shops in wild rampage#LouisVuitton shops in #Chicago and #SanFrancisco hit in smash-and-grab thefts.
Greater than a dozen individuals concerned in each circumstances, with mulitple arrests already made.#Theft #looting pic.twitter.com/QhYa7RbZED
— Chaudhary Parvez Ahmed (@ChParvezAhmed) November 21, 2021
Didn’t know if I ought to submit this or not. Pal despatched me from the smash and seize theft downtown close to Loyola Water Tower yesterday in Chicago. Two guys broke via glass in broad daylight and stole 2 watches value over 1,000,000 {dollars} every. pic.twitter.com/SeHXd3Rx8t
— Dante (@DanteTheDon) December 13, 2021
In 2021, then-Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot knew the place the blame for this rash of robberies lay: With the shops, after all.
“I’m upset that [retailers] aren’t doing extra to take security and make it a precedence,” she mentioned.
“For instance, we nonetheless have retailers that gained’t institute plans like having safety officers of their shops. Ensuring that they’ve bought cameras which might be truly operational.”
Blaming the thieves — and solely the thieves — apparently wasn’t an possibility.
Chicagoans rightly had sufficient of Lightfoot for quite a lot of causes — together with sky-high crime charges — and voted her out in 2023. Not that present Mayor Brandon Johnson is a lot better, however not less than they’d the frequent sense to throw her out.
As for Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser has been mayor since 2015 and issues don’t appear to be bettering, not less than as of late. Based on the Washington Enterprise Journal, violent and property crime are up 40 % and 25 % year-over-year in 2023, respectively.
Now that this smash-and-grab is getting a smidgen of nationwide consideration, maybe Bowser can pull a Lightfoot and blame an absence of fireplace extinguisher management legal guidelines for the District’s woes.
Whether or not that saves her from residents’ wrath, nevertheless, is anybody’s guess.
This text appeared initially on The Western Journal.
