After many shops were looted shortly after the end of peaceful demonstrations protesting a judge’s decision to drop all charges against a former Philadelphia police officer in a fatal traffic stop shooting, all liquor stores in Philadelphia were closed on Wednesday.
Following Tuesday night’s looting, police stated they were prepared “to make more” arrests if things got out of control on Wednesday night. They had already made scores of arrests. If you become aware of any ongoing criminal behavior, authorities asked that you phone 911.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board closed 49 retail wine and liquor stores, 48 of which were in Philadelphia, after 18 establishments were looted overnight, according to Shawn Kelly, press secretary for the board, who spoke to CNN. This happened while city authorities, including Mayor Jim Kenney, swore to maintain public safety and safeguard businesses.
Despite the fact that no workers were hurt, Kelly claimed that “some were understandably shaken” by the happenings.
“Today, all FW&GS (Fine Wine & Good Spirits) stores in Philadelphia and one in Cheltenham Plaza, Wyncote, Montgomery County, are closed in the interest of employee safety and while we assess the damage and loss that occurred,” Kelly said in a statement. “We will reopen stores when it is safe to do so and when the damage is repaired. It is too early to tell how much was damaged or destroyed.”
According to its website, the board is one of the biggest consumers of beverage alcohol in the country.
Unable to give more information, a representative for the police informed CNN that more resources would be added on Wednesday night. Anyone considering engaging in criminal action should be aware that there will be consequences, Kenney said.
52 people had been detained as of Wednesday afternoon, including three minors, after retailers in Philadelphia’s Center City neighborhood and the liquor stores were robbed on Tuesday evening, according to Jane Roh, a spokeswoman for the Philadelphia district attorney’s office.
Looting took place after peaceful protests came to an end after a judge dismissed all charges against Mark Dial, a former Philadelphia police officer, in the August 14 shooting death of 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry, according to authorities.
The city’s acting police chief stated that he thought the looters were “opportunists” who were unrelated to the demonstrations.
According to Roh, at least 30 of those detained, including the three minors, are being charged with larceny and burglary. Although one police vehicle was vandalized, no one has been arrested in connection with the event.
Around 8 o’clock at night, establishments began calling the police to complain that they had been broken into or ransacked, according to Stanford.
Around 7:30 p.m., the Irizarry case protest came to a conclusion. Although the police department had started removing policemen from the area, Stanford claimed that there were still enough there to rapidly respond to 911 calls concerning break-ins.
Officers arrived at the establishments and began attempting to disperse swarming groups of “juveniles and young adults,” according to Stanford.
According to Stanford, reports of looting started in the Center City region and spread to adjacent districts.
According to Stanford, it appears that the robbers came from various areas of the city. He added that police were still trying to determine the origin of the robbers and how the various vehicles might be related.
Stanford stated that it was unclear how many businesses were affected on Tuesday, but that pharmacies, high-end shops, wine and spirit stores, and clothes and sneaker shops were among the stores that were attacked.
A cell phone video that CNN was able to obtain shows several individuals rushing into and ransacking an Apple shop while wearing hoodies. A different video showed police detaining a number of people in front of a Lululemon store, where apparel was lying around on the ground.
In another location, officers could be seen standing outside a Foot Locker store where a window had been broken and items were scattered all over the floor, according to video from CNN affiliate KYW.
According to Stanford, investigators will be reviewing local video in order to make additional arrests.
The reports of store thefts in Philadelphia come as a number of businesses, both big and small, claim they are having difficulty stopping store crimes that are hurting their profits.