Philadelphia police say children as young as 10 participated in a mob that looted and ransacked a Wawa convenience store over the weekend.
Philadelphia police released new footage of the brazen attack on Tuesday, seeking clues from the public to help identify members of the mob, which ran amok at the store on Saturday.
The crowd of about 100 people, who appear to be mostly minors, trashed the store, threw items at employees and jumped on cars parked outside, police say.
The disturbing scenes of mayhem unfolded shortly after 8:00 p.m. Saturday at WaWa on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia’s Mayfair neighborhood.
Police say the flash mob appears to have been orchestrated through a social media post, and cops are seeking the public’s help in tracking down the perpetrators.
‘The bottom line is: we cannot allow this type of behavior to occur in this city. The business community doesn’t deserve that, the citizens don’t deserve that,” First Deputy Police Commissioner John Stanford said at a news conference Monday.
Philadelphia police say children as young as 10 participated in a mob that looted and ransacked a Wawa convenience store over the weekend.
The crowd of about 100 people, who appear to be mostly minors, trashed the store, threw items at employees and jumped on cars parked outside (seen above), police say.
Philadelphia police released new footage of the brazen attack on Tuesday, seeking tips from the public to help identify mob members.
Police say mob participants could face charges including criminal mischief, vandalism, theft and felony rioting.
Shocking footage from inside the stores shows employees behind a counter as a large group of what appeared to be mostly young men trashed the store, CBS News reported.
“You’re all stupid,” one of the people behind the counter was heard saying as the group claps, twerks and laughs, throwing cans and bags into the air.
“You’re all ugly, stupid, broke,” the man adds, but the crowd continues to decimate the store, grabbing merchandise from the shelves and throwing it into the air.
The incident comes weeks after stores in downtown Philadelphia were forced to close early after scores of youths looted the area, including several Wawa stores.
Disturbing scenes of mayhem unfolded shortly after 8:00 p.m. Saturday at this WaWa on Roosevelt Boulevard in Philadelphia’s Mayfair neighborhood.
A group of what appear to be minors looted the Wawa convenience store in Philadelphia’s Mayfair district on Saturday night (above)
As the looting continued, a man behind a counter could be heard yelling at the crowd.
It was the latest of those incidents to see Wawa’s ransacked and looted in Philadelphia, while thefts have soared by more than 40 percent this year.
In the picture: the aftermath of Saturday night’s chaos inside the Wawa
Philadelphia police provided additional security earlier this month just ten miles away in Center City, where a group of young criminals held up several Wawa locations and other stores.
Police said some of the minors in that incident were taken into custody.
Along with what appears to be a worrying trend of minors looting their stores, Philadelphia locations have also been hit by a serial thief.
The unknown suspect was seen entering the same Wawa from the incident on Saturday, September 8, robbing the store at gunpoint and making off with $250.
Three days later, the gunman robbed the Wawa on Roosevelt Boulevard, this time stealing $200.
Wawa is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.
The Wawa was previously hit by a suspect who robbed another of the store’s locations in Philadelphia this month. Wawa has posted a $5,000 reward leading to his arrest.
Thefts and crime in general continue to increase in the City of Brotherly Love
The City of Brotherly Love has seen a drastic increase in violence, with an overall increase in crime of more than 26 percent so far this year compared to the same period in 2021.
While assaults and rapes have seen a notable drop this year, the number of homicides is only down 1.8 percent, from 378 incidents last year to 385 so far this year.
Meanwhile, the number of shooting victims has risen 3.4 percent, with police reporting 1,706 cases so far this year, up from 1,650 last year.
Thefts have seen the biggest spike, with 4,199 cases reported this year, up 40.5 percent from the 3,042 reported last year.
Notably, Philadelphia’s district attorney is the controversial Larry Krasner, a so-called “progressive” prosecutor who was re-elected in 2021 but faced impeachment attempts in 2022.
Krasner, a leader in the progressive prosecutors’ movement, has fought with police unions and other officials who accuse him of being soft on crime.
Anyone with information about the WaWa looters is urged to contact Philadelphia police anonymously by calling or texting 215.686.TIPS (8477).
