07 January 2024 , 15:03
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A bakery owner whose business was attacked by a mob has demanded that the thugs responsible are brought to justice after he estimated he lost tens of thousands of dollars.
A gang of more than 100 looters came into Ruben’s Bakery & Mexican Food in Compton, California, to conduct a mass smash and grab with members of the gang using a Kia car to drive into the front of the store during a street takeover. The store, which survived the 1992 Rodney King riots and the Covid pandemic, has never been closed for more than a day, with the exception of Christmas and New Year.
The looters caused at least £55,000 ($70K) worth of damage, which includes everything that was stolen – food, money, lottery tickets, and other store equipment, including cash registers and meat scales. Now owner Reuben Ramirez Jr has blasted authorities for not doing more to stop the growing phenomenon of flash riots.
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The mob completely ransacked the bakery (CBSNEWS)Ramirez says his parents opened their store nearly 50 years ago after immigrating to the country and was heartbroken to see their hard work trashed. He told Fox News: “At first, like anybody, we were angry then we were sad. The worst was seeing my parents who built something for over 48 years, to almost lose it because of this violence that is going on right now. These street takeovers in Compton have been getting worse and worse."
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Devastating damage was caused to the business (CBSNEWS)The shop owner was forced to shut the shop for several days because of the catastrophic amount of damage caused and the amount of goods he had stolen. Due to food hygiene concerns, he also had to bin a lot of food too. The bakery has also lost out on a huge amount of sales as the first week of January is usually busy and they normally make special bread for the holidays.
Ramirez Jr. said his family isn’t the only one in the neighbourhood frustrated with the illegal late-night gatherings that often result in violence and crime, but none of them have a solution and want law enforcement to be more proactive. However, at the moment Ramirez must focus on trying to build up his business again.
The gang used a car to ram into the front of the bakery (CBSNEWS)Following the looting, the store owners took to the security footage to figure out who the attackers were but most of them were wearing masks and hoods. The heartbroken store owner said: "We need better policies for the community to help us. I would say sometimes these relaxed laws they don’t help, and the people that suffer are the hardworking people. I hate to say it but nobody gets punished for anything."
Authorities in Compton claim they are working on cracking down on the illegal street takeovers and Compton Mayor Emma Sharif said: "The City of Compton is working closely with the Sheriff’s Department to identify and apprehend the perpetrators responsible," while City of Compton Councilmember Andre Spicer, who represents the area where the bakery is located said: "The incident that occurred this morning in District 2 was absolutely unacceptable. It is extremely disheartening to see a local business attacked and destroyed. We need to support our local businesses and ensure that criminals know we will not tolerate the destruction of our beloved local establishments.
The store was partially reopened on January 5. A family friend set up a GoFundMe with a goal of £59,000 ($75K) that would help the store fully reopen, with some of the profit being shared with the employees. The crowdfunding project has raised more than £60.5K ($77K) as of Sunday morning.