As a city wide Task Force dug into the widespread rounds of looting in Philadelphia May 30-June 2 after the mostly peaceful, Center City George Floyd protests broke off and turned violent, city police sources say it became clear some of that crime wave was in fact organized and spread through the use of social media.
A team of detectives, aided by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and the city’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, plowed through over 650 reported incidents of looting and vandalism spanning from sneaker and clothing stores, to local pharmacies and even banks. The damages were expected to be in the millions of dollars.
Philadelphia Police reported over 100 neighborhood, mom & pop pharmacies and big chain pharmacies were looted by large crowds and smaller crews.
They say all kinds of prescription drugs taken during those break-ins are now on the streets of Philly. In some cases the bands of looters even hauled away 300-pound plus safes where opioids and other hard core drugs were stored. Surveillance video of those break ins are being carefully reviewed by FBI agents and detectives.
Sources say looters who are identified could face Federal drug charges, along with interfering with interstate commerce. One pharmacy owner reported this week that almost every drug of value was swiped by the looters, who entered stores in broad daylight and under the cover of darkness. Some wore the recommend pandemic masks, others did not.
A spokesman for the Philadelphia Police said the looting of these neighborhood drug stores did damage on two fronts. One, powerful prescription drugs are now on the streets in the hands of people who may not know how to use them safely.
Secondly, folks who live in those same neighborhoods, may now not be able to get the prescription drugs they desperately need and may not be able to travel to another pharmacy to get them.
In addition, pharmacy owners reported extensive damage to their stores. In one case an incendiary device was used to blast open the front door, in other cases, crow bars and hammers were used to smash out windows and doors to enter.
The Philadelphia FBI office also reported that 45 banks were looted, broken into or suffered serious damage due to vandalism by looters and opportunists who tried to gain entry.
In one case in Southwest Philadelphia, video tape and pictures posted on Facebook surfaced showing a crew of looters breaking into a Lowe’s Big Box Store, taking a forklift, then driving it to a nearby Wells Fargo bank in the same shopping center. There, the forklift was use to break into the bank and haul away a huge safe. The FBI is expected to file charges in that case.
Police sources also report that on Sunday evening May 31st, after two days of looting in Center City, crews of looters communicating via text, Instagram messages and other means, set their sights on the former Franklin Mills Malls off Woodhaven Road.
Sources say police with the City’s Intelligence Unit, along with the Elite Philadelphia Highway Patrol and other officers, responded to the mall and chased the would be intruders before they were able to take anything substantial from the mall property. Several arrests were made.
Minutes later, police report, stores at several strip malls in the area along Roosevelt Boulevard were broken into and looted. Police believe by the same crews of looters who unsuccessfully targeted the Mall, turned their attention and criminal activities to the Boulevard after being thwarted by police at the Mall.
Philadelphia Police also tell Mobtalksitdown.com that looters vandalized rental car lots across the area, including at the Philadelphia Airport, and stole rental cars to be used in their unorganized/organized crime sprees.
Many of those cars were later abandoned and seized by police. Sources say several stolen rental cars were also used in shootings and murders in the days following the looting sprees, then dumped by the suspects.
An FBI spokesperson also confirmed this past week that agents with the city’s Joint Terrorism Task Force are now “working to identify individuals or groups responsible for inciting rioting, violence and destruction of property in the furtherance of civil unrest during First Amendment protected peaceful protests.”
The city’s Looting Task Force detectives have also now identified a number of suspects believe to be involved in the looting and have recovered some of the stolen goods taken from stores across the city. A widespread investigation continues with many more arrests expected
Over 380 arrests have already been made by officers responding to various looting scenes on the day of those crimes.
Stay tuned to Mobtalksitdown.com for more on this wave of somewhat organized crime.
