Police are hunting for 16 additional suspects after a mob of alleged looters struck an East Los Angeles AutoZone twice in a 24-hour period.
The second break-in occurred around 3:30 a.m. On Aug. 9 at the store on South Atlantic Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities said the suspects forced their way into the already-damaged location, causing significant additional losses on top of the earlier raid.
Investigators believe some of the Aug. 9 suspects may have also participated in the first burglary less than 24 hours before. That attack began around 2:22 a.m. On Aug. 8, when one person allegedly smashed the store’s glass entrance doors and 10 others poured inside in what authorities described as a “coordinated, mob-like burglary.”
Detectives had already appealed for help identifying 11 suspects from the first break-in when authorities announced the expanded search for 16 more individuals. The criminal free-for-all unfolded alongside street takeovers near Olympic and Atlantic boulevards that roiled the neighborhood across two nights.
Sheriff’s officials previously said that spectators at the first takeover were believed to have ransacked the AutoZone. At a second street takeover the next night, more than 100 vehicles swarmed the intersection near the store, according to earlier reports. Some in the crowd allegedly broke away and descended on the AutoZone, which had already been boarded up after Saturday’s looting.
Video showed people, many with their faces covered, breaking into the battered store and making off with merchandise. Images showed shattered glass covering the front walkway, with car batteries, wiper fluid and auto accessories scattered across the floor. At least $50,000 in merchandise and three cash registers were reportedly stolen across both incidents.
The East LA chaos was part of a broader weekend of disorder in which two separate street takeovers erupted into fires and looting in East Los Angeles and the Gramercy Park neighborhood. Break-ins were also reported at AutoZone stores in Watts, Downey and Long Beach amid street-takeover activity across the Los Angeles area that weekend.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has released surveillance images of the suspects in an effort to generate leads from the public. Authorities have not announced any arrests in connection with either burglary at the East LA location.
In the viral moment that sparked the initial coverage, the first takeover’s crowd was captured on video flooding through the shattered storefront as car engines revved nearby. The spectacle of mass looting linked to street racing culture drew widespread attention online and intensified scrutiny of how law enforcement handles the increasingly disruptive takeover events across Southern California.
The second night’s raid on the already-boarded store demonstrated what investigators characterized as a brazen return by suspects undeterred by the initial police response or by the temporary security measures. The back-to-back hits left the AutoZone location extensively damaged and depleted of inventory.
The Sheriff’s Department continues to solicit tips from anyone with information about the suspects’ identities. Authorities have not specified whether additional security measures are being implemented at other AutoZone locations in the area.