More Than 50 Arrested as Mobs of Masked Young People Ransack Stores in Philadelphia's Center City
A Philadelphia police spokesperson tells PEOPLE that 49 adults and three juveniles have been arrested
Nearly 50 people face criminal charges after multiple stores were looted Tuesday night in Philadelphia, authorities said.
A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department tells PEOPLE in a statement they have arrested 49 adults and three juveniles, but that number may change as some incidents have yet to be counted as of 2 p.m. Wednesday. None of the suspects have been publicly named.
Police say they were notified just before 8 p.m. Tuesday about an increased presence of young people apparently roaming the Center City neighborhood. Among the stores that police say were ransacked by the mobs of masked alleged thieves — some of whom were dressed in black — were Foot Locker, Lululemon and the Apple Store.
While some arrests were made when officers responded to the Foot Locker and Lululemon stores, the suspects were gone by the time police made it to the Apple Store, according to the release.
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“The [Apple] store sustained losses in terms of phones and tablets, although numerous stolen items have since been recovered,” police said. It’s unclear how much merchandise was stolen from the other stores.
In response, police said they took “proactive steps” by locking down local streets to investigate and “ensure the safety of both the public and property within the affected areas.” Authorities also received additional reports of property damage and car thefts throughout the city.
According to police, seven cars were stolen from a lot in the northeast part of the city. As of Wednesday afternoon, one of the cars had reportedly been recovered.
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The looting took place the same day that protests were happening in the city over charges being dropped against Mark Dial, a former Philadelphia police officer who fatally shot 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry through a car window. (The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office refiled the charges, which include murder and simple assault, hours after a judge’s dismissal, according to a criminal docket reviewed by PEOPLE.)
Interim Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Stanford said at a press conference that the looting was separate from the protests, the Associated Press, CNN, and NBC 10 report. “What we had tonight was a bunch of criminal opportunists take advantage of a situation,” he told reporters.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney echoed the commissioner’s statements Wednesday morning in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter.)
“Thank you to @PhillyPolice for their swift response to disperse crowds and make necessary arrests related to last night’s incidents,” he wrote. “This was a sickening display of opportunistic criminal activity, and we will not stand for it.”
Police say the investigation remains ongoing and they are “committed to maintaining public safety and order.”
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