A 13-year-old boy is accused of being behind the wheel of the car that plowed through the front doors of a small bakery in California earlier this month, allowing at least 100 people to ransack the shop during an illegal street takeover.
The 13-year-old boy, whose name wasn’t released because of his age, was one of five people arrested in connection to the looting at Reuben’s Bakery & Mexican Food on Jan. 2, according to KTLA.
Surveillance footage captured the white KIA, which police later identified as a stolen vehicle, reverse into the Compton-based store, “ramming a security gate multiple times until they were able to break it.”
“Once the gate was breached, numerous individuals were observed on camera entering and burglarizing the business.” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Officials valued the initial estimates to $40,000 in damage and lost property.
Through a search warrant, detectives arrested the juvenile on Jan.12 in Los Angeles.
The teen was charged with burglary, felony vandalism, driving a vehicle without the owner’s consent, and inciting a riot, according to Luna.
He was cited and released to his family with a pending court date.
Hours after being released, the 13-year-old was a part of a string of other burglaries throughout the county with one back in Compton, and another in the city of Carson.
The teen was among a group of four that attempted to rob a 7-Eleven when a Sheriff’s deputy unknowingly walked into the convenience store in the middle of the armed robbery.
The juvenile was arrested and is being held at Juvenile Hall, Luna announced.
The sheriff’s department served three more search warrants Tuesday morning, which resulted in the arrests of four people who have been charged with burglary and possession of stolen property, stemming from the bakery theft.
Three of the suspects are in custody while the fourth was booked and later released, according to Luna.
“When people saw the crime that occurred at this bakery, probably like the way I felt personally, I was offended,” Luna said. “To see that all these individuals broke into this (family-owned) business,
“Personally, I was offended to see that all these individuals broke into this business,” Luna said. “When we say a business, we’re talking about a family that has owned this business for many years.”
“To watch a bunch of individuals who have no regard other people’s property or hard work, and did what you saw.”
Reuben Ramirez Jr., the man who runs the family-owned business after his father opened nearly half a century ago, was angered by the lack of accountability from the looters.
“We just felt frustrated, we felt that maybe it’s a sign that we needed to close our business because of everything that’s going on, but here we are we reopened and are getting through this,” Ramirez Jr. told reporters after the press conference.
We’re not going anywhere, we’re here for the community 48 years, and we’ll be here another 48 years.”