On the second night of flash mob looting in Philadelphia, the robbers ransacked the liquor store Fine Wine and Good Spirits, attacking its safe and lottery machine, as shown in footage spreading on social media. Reporter of FOX 29 News Philadelphia Steve Keeley, who originally reported on Wednesday night's thefts, later posted the videos showing the aftermath of some looting that occurred at a sneaker warehouse in the city.
The X, formerly Twitter, post further showed piles of boxes that had been torn into. A source told him that "it may be a Snipes warehouse. It appears they took all they could and left a lot behind."
The brutes later made off with the safe and raided the lottery machine on a night when liquor stores were shut down by the authorities one day after some young thieves brawled with cops on the streets after mass looting at Footlocker, Lululemon and Apple. Around 18 of the state-run liquor stores were broken into, triggering the closure of all 48 of its Philadelphia retail locations and one in suburban Cheltenham on Wednesday by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
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."
According to CNN, authorities claimed that the looting happened after the peaceful protests following a judge's decision to dismiss all charges against former Philadelphia police officer Mark Dial in the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry on August 14. However, Acting Police Commissioner John Stanford said the first night's looting had nothing to do with the rally, calling the group 'a bunch of criminal opportunists.'
Some videos from Night 1 of looting showed officers grabbing thieves, some of whom were wearing Halloween masks, as they rioted through a Lululemon store. A cop even managed to hit one of the looters with a punch after tackling them to the ground. The footage also showed bikes and piles of merchandise piled up on the sidewalk outside of the apparel store branch as officers arrived and started making arrests.
A clip from the Apple store showed the aftermath of the looting, with iPhones and other electronic goods seemingly ripped from their display stands, and confused staff members can be seen standing around. There were also photos of a sporting goods store at a mall that showed mannequins and sneakers scattered on the sidewalk. Keeley also shared earlier footage showing the police placing handcuffs on one man, as they guard the exterior of the store. Numerous people can be heard shouting in the background as he is led to the rear of a police van.
Six businesses in a single retail corridor of North Philadelphia were reportedly among the looted stores, including three pharmacies, a hair salon, a tax preparation company and a cellphone store, according to the business group North 22nd Street Business Corridor.
Grandmother of "Meatball" Blackwell is ashamed of her livestream looting granddaughter
Among the 22 looters who were arrested and detained was social media personality Dayjia 'Meatball' Blackwell, 21, who was charged with burglary, conspiracy, criminal trespass, riot, criminal mischief, criminal use of communication facility, receipt of stolen property and disorderly conduct. The police allegedly tagged her "Livestream Looter."
"She (Blackwell) is livestreaming as she is committing burglaries, as she is encouraging others to commit burglaries," said Stanford. She was released on bail Wednesday, court records show, and is due back in court on October 17. Fresh from jail, Blackwell thanked her social media supporters but her grandma Vashti Fields said, "She should be saying she is sorry."
"What goes through my mind, as a grandmother, is I am very ashamed. I'm very ashamed to see my child there, at that time. Number one, she could have gotten hurt," Fields said of "Meatball." The granny also said that she's sickened by all the looting and destruction of local businesses, especially connected to the young woman she helped raise. "When I see someone of my blood, that has been there while this is happening, and they are saying they are an influencer, that hurts me deeply," she added.
Meanwhile, Fields believes Blackwell is not guilty of any of the charges, but she pointed out that she wants "Meatball" to publicly apologize by writing a letter to the city and, hopefully, use her voice for good. "I want her to start a business and, most of all, I want her to be a positive influencer," she stated.
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