Photo: Jub Rubjob / Moment / Getty Images
The Los Angeles Police Department said that several teenagers allegedly involved in multiple flash mob robberies at 7-Eleven stores over the summer have been turned in by their parents.
Authorities said that groups of between 20 and 40 teens would ride their bikes to the stores and then rush inside, stealing what they could carry and then fleeing as quickly as they arrived. There were 14 reported incidents, with 13 of them happening on Friday nights.
"In several incidents, the witnesses were physically pushed by the suspects during the criminal take-over of the stores, with no regard for others safety. Although there are no reported physical injuries, several witnesses continue to fear for their safety after such aggressive and callous criminal behavior," the police department said in a statement.
On Tuesday (October 1), Assistant Chief Blake Chow addressed the L.A. Board of Police Commissioners and said that one day after surveillance photos were released, parents started turning in their kids.
Chow told the Los Angeles Times that on September 26, a mother brought her 14-year-old son to the Northeast police station after seeing him in the surveillance footage. The next day, another mother brought her 15-year-old son to the Southwest station because of his alleged involvement in the robbery spree. Then, two days after that, on September 29, another mother brought her 15-year-old son into the 77th Street police station, saying he was involved in the robberies.
All three teens were booked on robbery charges. Authorities said they are continuing to investigate the string of robberies and have been receiving numerous tips as they try to track down the remaining kids involved.