#THE SMASHOUT WINDOWS#

“These brazen acts hurt all of us: retailers, employees and customers alike,” said Gascón’s special advisor, Alex Bastian. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti speaks at a news conference to announce arrests in connection with recent smash-and-grab robberies on Dec. We should be able to also open up our jails, and we should be able to have judges that put people behind those bars.”ĭespite the stinging criticisms of the policies he ran on, Gascón’s office still reckoned the smash-and-grab robbers would be held accountable. “We have opened up a lot of the city because we’re in a better place with COVID. “We need the help of our criminal justice system, of our judges, of our jailers,” Garcetti said. “Much of it is coming from the judicial system itself, not the prosecutors,” he insisted. However, he insisted it was only “partly” due to progressive District Attorney George Gascón, who supports ending bail across the board for misdemeanor, non-violent and non-serious felony offenses. Looters raid San Jose jewelry store as California smash-and-grab wave continues “How many times does the same person have to steal a car - three, four, five times - after being released before we realize” that they should have been held, he asked. Stores have increased security in response to a spike in thefts.

#THE SMASHOUT WINDOWS#

MediaNews Group via Getty Images A security guard watches the entrance to a Louis Vuitton store, which has had its windows boarded. Mayor Eric Garcetti backed the police chief’s complaint, insisting, “There are people who need to be behind bars.” The 11 “flash-mob type” raids cost businesses nearly $350,000 in goods. The 11 raids caused at least $40,000 in property damage, Moore said, insisting that the impact on the community now terrified of violent raids “cannot be overstated.”Ĭalifornia’s statewide policy of imposing no bail for misdemeanors and lower-level felonies was introduced last year to help reduce the jail population at the height of the pandemic.Īlthough it was due to end late last year, it has been kept in place within the LA County Superior Court system.

And when the few people are constantly gaming the system to understand its weaknesses” they can easily “prey upon society,” he said. “Remember, the vast majority of crime is committed by relatively few people. Psaki claims COVID is ‘root cause’ for wave of looting incidents “Meaning that we book and process, identify you, and then your arraignment date is three to four months from now,” he said. “You can be arrested for crimes such as burglary - a serious felony, a person coming into your home or business … and that’s a zero bail. “We are concerned,” the police chief admitted. LAPD Chief Michel Moore speaks during a news conference to announce arrests in connection with recent smash-and-grab robberies and to provide safety measures and prevention tips at the LAPD Headquarters in Los Angeles on Dec. “There’s criminal elements that are recognizing that condition and are capitalizing on it,” he warned of crooks emboldened by the soft-touch approach. “All of the suspects taken into custody are out of custody,” Moore complained, blaming “zero-bail criteria” for the release of all but one, who was a juvenile. 28, LAPD chief Michel Moore said Thursday.

The 14 arrests followed a “rash” of 11 “flash-mob type” raids in which nearly $350,000 in goods was swiped in just 10 days in the City of Angels last month, with the last on Nov. Over a dozen suspects tied to the spate of nearly a dozen smash-and-grab robberies in Los Angeles were busted but then quickly released due to zero-bail policies, which has left the LAPD’s top cop frustrated. War ignites between Hochul, NY judges over bail reformĭeSantis did what Hochul won’t - boot a DA who won’t do their job Ex-NYPD top aide: Bail reform was ‘atom bomb’ that ‘set us back a decade’Ĭrime-fighting NYPD highlights all the violence in NYC

The smashout