Overview
- Investigators say a mob-like burglary forced entry into an East Los Angeles AutoZone at about 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 9, after the same store was struck in a smash-and-grab less than 24 hours earlier.
- The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has circulated photos it says show more than two dozen people seen at the store across the two nights and previously released smaller suspect groups from each incident.
- Officials say large street takeovers—events with roughly 100 to 150 vehicles blocking intersections and doing donuts—created the cover that allowed groups to break into stores.
- Store owners report thousands of dollars in damage and lost inventory, and on-scene reporting put losses at one location as high as $50,000 with multiple cash registers taken, though that figure is not uniformly verified.
- Investigators are reviewing surveillance and cellphone video, have not announced arrests, and are asking the public to call Detective Luu or the on-duty watch commander at 323-264-4151 or Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 with tips.