Family grocery looted during chaotic street takeover in Bellflower

At approximately 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, a violent street takeover in Bellflower turned into a robbery of the family-owned A-Z Market, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Surveillance captured three unidentified men breaking the storefront window and cutting the gate lock with power tools, after which 40 to 60 additional people entered and ransacked the interior for roughly two minutes. The assault emptied drawers, stripped shelves and scattered candy, food and other goods, resulting in an estimated $30,000 in stolen inventory and property damage.

Law enforcement found the perpetrators fleeing into the dense crowd surrounding the takeover, and no arrests have been reported. While deputies issued citations related to the street takeover, they could not link those citations to the looting. The family, who said the store had prior security measures and robberies, launched a GoFundMe campaign requesting $9,000, having raised just over $1,000 so far. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact Lakewood Station detectives or Crime Stoppers.