Several locations were looted after the conclusion of peaceful protests against a judge’s decision to dismiss all charges against a former Philadelphia police officer Mark Dial,in a fatal shootingof 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry on a traffic stop.
Interim Commissioner John Stanford told reporters the looting began around 8 p.m. when police responded to several reports of looting at businesses. Officers responded to the stores, working to disperse growing crowds of “juveniles and young adults,” Stanford said.
Videos shared on social media show officers attempting to grab thieves, some of whom are wearing Halloween masks, as they run riot through a Lululemon store. The incident happened on Walnut Street in the heart of the city center and also involved a nearby Foot Locker and Apple store. Several vehicles and a police cruiser were vandalized, and police recovered at least two firearms during the arrests, though it was unclear if the weapons were linked to the unrest Tuesday evening.
“We were told at one point that crowd got as large as maybe 100 or so that were just making their way through Center City area,” the commissioner said at a news conference. “This had nothing to do with the protests. What we had tonight was a bunch of criminal opportunists take advantage of a situation .
As of Wednesday afternoon, 52 people have been arrested, including three juveniles, said Jane Roh, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia district attorney’s office.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board closed 49 retail wine and liquor stores – 48 in Philadelphia – after 18 stores were looted overnight, Shawn Kelly, press secretary for the board, told CNN.
“We’re investigating that there was possibly a caravan of a number of different vehicles that were going from location to location,” the commissioner John Stanford told reporters. Stanford said it was unclear how many businesses were hit Tuesday, but that targeted stores included clothing and sneaker shops, high-end stores, wine and spirit stores and pharmacies.
