More than 100 people looted a Compton bakery early Tuesday morning after an illegal takeover on a nearby street, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
They entered the business by the dozens, climbed over the counter, took items off shelves and took cash registers, surveillance video shows.
Authorities were contacted at 3:25 a.m. about a “robbery in progress” at Ruben’s Bakery & Mexican Food on North Santa Fe Avenue.
Video from the business shows a white Kia Soul being driven in reverse and through a security gate at the main entrance to allow the crowd to enter.
Deputy Miguel Meza, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department, said the thieves had been engaging in an illegal street takeover at the intersection of Santa Fe Avenue and El Segundo Boulevard, right in front of the bakery.
Street shots involve a group of people blocking an intersection with cars and using the space to do donuts and other street racing maneuvers, Meza said. Compton city officials have vowed to crack down on illegal gatherings, which are known to be deadly. Its popularity skyrocketed amid the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
The Sheriff’s Department had received several calls about the street takeover around the same time as the robbery, Meza said, although deputies had trouble getting to the scene because of blocked roads.
Authorities did not have an estimate of damage to the business, but KCAL News reported that, according to the owner, losses included nearly $20,000 in profits from the New Year’s Eve holiday weekend.
An employee at the bakery declined to comment.
Known for its bolillos, Meza said, Ruben’s Bakery has been in the community for more than 40 years and is seen as a neighborhood fixture. It became even more important to local residents as a resource during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, when it was one of the few such businesses in the area that remained open.
No arrests have been made and the investigation remains ongoing.
