The proprietor of the Compton bakery, recently subjected to looting by a group exceeding 100 individuals and a subsequent car crash into the establishment, revealed that the business sustained $70,000 in damages. Ruben Ramirez Jr., owner of Ruben’s Bakery & Mexican Food, shared with Fox News the challenges his family is facing as they strive to rebuild in the aftermath of the incident.
Expressing the unprecedented nature of the attack, Ramirez remarked, “This has never happened to us before. We’ve seen ‘street takeovers’ in the area, but it’s never anything like this.” The looters, numbering over 100, targeted the bakery following an illegal street takeover that originated about a mile away at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday.
Surveillance footage captured a white Kia being backed into the bakery’s front doors, ramming into the store twice while a sizable crowd looked on. Once inside, the looters, concealed by masks or hooded attire, were seen hastily grabbing items from the store, leaping onto counters, and pushing past each other before making their escape. The aftermath revealed a ransacked store with open food containers strewn across the floor, a metal-grated window destroyed by the car, and shattered glass scattered on the ground.
Among the stolen items were meat scales, meat products, groceries, and lottery tickets, according to Captain Melissa Ramirez of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
Ruben Ramirez Jr., deeply affected by the incident, expressed his frustration, saying, “The worst is seeing my parents, who built something for over 48 years, almost lose it because of this violence that’s going on right now.” He emphasized the deteriorating situation with street takeovers in Compton, reflecting the sentiments of frustrated neighbors.
Despite the desire for justice, Ramirez’s primary focus is on rebuilding his business to continue serving the community. “I want to be able to serve the community how we’ve been doing it for all these years and make everybody happy with our food,” he said.
The incident unfolded after police responded to two calls about a car on fire and the street takeover outside the bakery. As of now, no arrests have been reported in connection with the looting.
WATCH:
Owner of the Compton bakery that was looted in several viral videos, Ruben Ramirez, joins @SandraSmithFox to detail what happened, his confusion over why he was targeted and who these looters were, and his efforts to rebuild his store for his community. #AmericaReports pic.twitter.com/5cpYaaKFCN
— America Reports (@AmericaRpts) January 5, 2024
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