An AutoZone store was looted during a street takeover early Saturday morning in South Los Angeles, marking another incident in a troubling series of similar crimes plaguing the area in recent weeks.
South LA AutoZone Looted Amidst Street Takeover Chaos
A Saturday morning street takeover in South Los Angeles resulted in the looting of an AutoZone, continuing a pattern of escalating criminal activity.
- An AutoZone in South Los Angeles was looted during a street takeover on Saturday.
- Police responded to the scene around 1:27 a.m. after calls about the takeover.
- The store suffered smashed windows and scattered merchandise.
- No injuries or arrests were reported.
- Calls for increased police action and a dedicated task force have been made.
The incident occurred at approximately 1:27 a.m. near the intersection of Century Boulevard and Central Avenue. Individuals reportedly entered the business and took items. Responding officers discovered the burglary after being dispatched to the scene due to the street takeover, according to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Media Relations Division. Reports from the scene indicated that the front windows of the store had been smashed, with merchandise strewn across the parking lot.
Another report placed police presence at Century Boulevard and Central Avenue, near Ted Watkins Memorial Park, around 1:25 a.m. in response to a street takeover. Officers immediately requested backup upon arrival and entered the business to clear it.
This latest incident follows a pattern of similar crimes. On July 21, police received reports of a break-in at an AutoZone near South Main Street and Vernon Avenue, also in conjunction with a reported street takeover. Previously, on June 16, an AutoZone in the Vermont Vista neighborhood of South Los Angeles was burglarized. This same store had been targeted about a year prior during another street takeover, an incident that also saw the building’s side vandalized with graffiti.
What is being done to stop these takeovers and burglaries? Community leaders are advocating for more targeted police action and the creation of an Anti Store Take Over Prevention Task Force by city officials and the LAPD to combat these events.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, President of the Los Angeles Urban Roundtable, voiced strong opinions regarding the ongoing situation. “The lack of immediate arrests in the trashing and vandalizing of an AutoZone by a mob sends the wrong signal. It only encourages more mob action,” Hutchinson stated on Saturday. He further called for the establishment of a dedicated task force, emphasizing, “Anything less ensures that they will continue causing massive damage to property and putting lives at risk.”
