Rioter 'Meatball' sheds tears as cops name and shame 30 after looting chaos

28 September 2023 , 10:34

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Rioter 'Meatball' sheds tears as cops name and shame 30 after looting chaos

Police have released the names and mugshots of 30 of the suspected looters charged after a chaotic night of rioting and raiding across Philadelphia. One known as 'Meatball', who live-streamed the looting on social media and boasted about taking a bottle of Hennessy, was seen crying in her police picture.

So far 52 people, including three juveniles, have been arrested with police vowing "more to come." Shocking footage showed over 100 masked Halloween rioters looting shops and causing terror in the centre of the city. The violence came just hours after a peaceful protest over a judge's decision to dismiss murder charges against a Philadelphia officer who shot and killed a driver, Eddie Irizarry, through a car window. Although police sources have dismissed suggestions of a link between the two events.

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Dayjia Blackwell (L) along with a handful of those charged

Dayjia Blackwell, who goes by the name 'Meatball' on Instagram told her 181,000 followers, filmed the mob as they looted a number of stores, before moving on to a booze shop where she boasted about grabbing herself a bottle of Hennessy brandy.

"Tell the police if they lock me up tonight it's going to be lit, it's going to be a movie! Everybody's gotta eat!" she said to the camera. She was charged Wednesday with criminal conspiracy, criminal mischief, riot, and disorderly conduct among other charges, according to police.

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Police have said more arrests are to come

Burglary, theft and other counts have been filed so far against at least 30 people, all but three of them adults, according to Jane Roh, spokesperson for the Philadelphia district attorney’s office. The names of the stores targeted were also released which included , Footlocker, booze shops and LULU Lemon.

Those doing the ransacking were not affiliated with the protest, Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said at a news conference, calling the group “a bunch of criminal opportunists.”

Some of the 30 people charged so far

At least 18 state-run liquor stores were broken into, leading the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to close all 48 of its Philadelphia retail locations and one in suburban Cheltenham on Wednesday. No employees were hurt Tuesday night, but “some were understandably shaken,” said liquor board spokesperson Shawn Kelly.

The stores were “closed in the interest of employee safety and while we assess the damage and loss that occurred. We will reopen stores when it is safe to do so and when the damage is repaired,” Mr Kelly said.

The ages of those charged with burglary over the looting goes from 14 to 37. Among those charged were two 14-year-olds, a boy and a girl, and one 16-year-old.

The oldest person charged was 37-year-old woman Jessica Blake who was nabbed on suspicion of raiding Fine Wine and Good Spirits. Fourteen or those charged so far were female.

A number of pharmacies were also raided, with four named in the charges sheet released by Philadelphia Police and published by FOX 29 News Philadelphia reporter, Steve Keeley.

Police attempt to arrest a suspected looter (X)

Looters donned Halloween masks to loot the stores (X)

A post on X (formerly Twitter) from Philadelphia Police reads: Due to last night's events, Philadelphia Police will have an increased presence throughout the city. We made dozens of arrests last night (with more to come), and we're ready to make more. Please call 911 if you are aware of any ongoing criminal activity. #SeeSomethingSaySomething"

The thefts and unrest stretched from downtown to northeast and west Philadelphia, leaving smashed display windows and broken storefront coverings. Police said seven cars were stolen from a lot in the northeast. One of the cars had been recovered as of Wednesday afternoon.

The aftermath of ransacked liquor store in Philadelphia (AP)

Benjamin Nochum, the pharmacist and store manager at Patriot Pharmacy, said it was the third time since 2020 his business had been hit.

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“When looters steal from us, what they don’t seem to understand is that they are also stealing from our neighbours,” Mr Nochum said in a statement. ”It makes you question how much longer you can hang on.”

Devastation left after looters tore through (AP)

People appeared to have organised efforts on social media, according to interim police commissioner. Police are investigating “that there was possibly a caravan of a number of different vehicles that were going from location to location.” Video posted to social media showed people hanging out of cars in a shopping centre parking lot, appearing to yell directions to one another.

Charlie Jones