An open-air mall in Los Angeles known as The Grove has been forced to install large coil fencing after being victimized in sudden and coordinated waves of looting, American Greatness reported.
The mall was attacked by a group of looters who broke into the Nordstrom and used heavy weapons to smash windows. Reportedly, $5,000 of merchandise was stolen and the looters caused more than $15,000 worth of damage.
The Grove decided to put the fencing in place in preparation for the Christmas season. The fencing will be put in place every night after closing and removed before opening in the morning.
“The coil wire is a reasonably new technology in retail crime prevention,” said Mike Lamb, former vice president of asset protection and safety at Walmart and Home Depot. “It looks like it’s designed to not cause injury, but can tangle a person in it and slow down someone who is trying to get away quickly.”
This attack has been one of many in California. Mobs of masked looters have been attacking high-end stores and malls, stealing as much merchandise as possible and fleeing in seemingly coordinated attacks.
The majority of these brazen attacks have taken place in California, which has implemented laws easing penalties on shoplifters. CEOs of chains such as Target, Best Buy and CVS have sent a plea to the federal government, asking for assistance in this midst crime wave.
In the letter, they acknowledge that “retail establishments of all kinds have seen a significant uptick in organized crime in communities across the nation.”
Recently, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., tried to claim that looting wasn’t really happening, and said that “the data doesn’t back it up.” She did not share the data which she was referencing.
In response, Walgreens senior executive vice president of communications Jason Brewer said that Ocasio-Cortez “has no idea what she is talking about,” pointing to the fact that “both the data and stack of video evidence makes fairly clear that this is a growing problem in need of solutions.”
