Police in Los Angeles have announced 14 arrests in connection with 11 recent smash-and-grab robberies at stores where nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen, but all the suspects have been released.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said that most of the accused robbers suspected of ransacking businesses between November 18 and 28 bailed out or met no-bail criteria, and one is a juvenile.
At a joint news conference on Thursday announcing the arrests, both Moore and Mayor Eric Garcetti called for an end to a no-bail policy for some defendants aimed at reducing overcrowding at Los Angeles County jails during the coronavirus pandemic.
Garcetti said with the pandemic easing, it’s time to make room again in lockups for criminals who commit violent acts and put store employees in danger.
Moore said he was confident that police investigating the retail robberies had the support of progressive Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón, who ran on a reform agenda and supports ending bail across the board for misdemeanor, non-violent and non-serious felony offenses.
Gascón’s office said in a statement Thursday that those who commit smash-and-grab thefts will be held accountable.
I’ll believe that when I see it.
Screeching Leftist activists and politicians are still going balls to the wall on bail reform.
I severely doubt that the LA mayor and chief of police will be able to roll this back while the rest of the Democrats are still pushing this policy.
And while they talk about needed to hold people accountable they still have to let them go.
California started this bail reform movement, helped spread it across the country, and now they don’t want it.
Fuck ’em.
Let’s see … $340,000 / 14 = $24,285.71 per perpetrator (alleged, of course). Unless they changed math again, that’s a bit over the $950 threshold. Also perhaps worth noting, that $340k does not seem to include any property damage done along the way; display cases aren’t cheap, for instance.
So the message has gone from “under $950 and you’re good to go” to just “you’re good to go” if you steal something in California.
Each and every time such a theft occurs, with essentially no consequences for the thieves, it makes it that much more likely to happen again. I fear it will not turn around any time soon, and indeed will expand to residences as stores close or fundamentally change how they do sales.
>display cases aren’t cheap, for instance
I always shudder when I see these videos of big glass cases/windows being shattered, those damn things can cost more than the merchandise behind them.
The whole ‘low/no bail’ thing is about to land on them in the wake of the Waukesha attack.
I suspect Garcetti is trying to get out ahead of it.
The mayor (who is an asshole) and the chief of police had nothing to do with this decision. It was made by the LA County District Attorney’s office and the judges in LA County court. Please place the blame where it belongs.
It make sense to place the blame not just with the people making the decisions, but also with their close colleagues who actively support this insanity.
Now those poor innocent underpriveileged armed robbers have to go out and rob some more while they are on bail. Lawyers are not cheap. Just ask Sammy “the Bull” Gravano how that works.
These thugs were carrying weapons like hammers, how else do they smash the display cases? Doesn’t that count for something, even to a Soros Financed Communist Stooge?