Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray says District police will pursue criminal charges against those involved in a flash mob robbery.
Early Thursday morning, at least 10 girls rushed into the Shop Express on Benning Road Northeast and stole snacks and other items before running out.
Police say the value of items stolen from the store is around $70.
Mayor Gray said D.C. “will not tolerate such reprehensible behavior” and hopes criminal charges will stop copycat crimes from happening.
In his statement released Friday, Gray said:
“Some news coverage of this incident has reported residents questioning whether the robbery could have been morally justified. Actually, both morality and the law are quite clear: It is wrong to steal from others. And if people do not obey the law, they will be apprehended, arrested and prosecuted. There is no excuse for this sort of incident.”
This is the beginning of what seems to be a disturbing trend in the area. On August 13th, at least 20 suspects stole around $450 worth of candy, snacks and drinks from a Germantown 7-Eleven.
Police believe they’ve identified 16 of the participants, and will discuss charges with prosecutors next week.
