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Amid ongoing turmoil and flash mob-style looting incidents in Los Angeles, California is decisively shifting toward stricter criminal enforcement measures.
Criminal defense lawyer David Wohl mentioned to Fox News Digital that the penalties are no longer merely a slap on the wrist for looters due to changes in Proposition 47, which previously did not classify theft under $950 as a crime.
“Now we have a very conservative, hard-driving DA in Los Angeles,” Wohl said. “He’s combining the total stolen by each individual co-defendant, and if that exceeds $950, everyone is facing felony charges.”
In a city once known for turning a blind eye to petty theft and soft prosecution, looters who are taking advantage of protests over federal immigration operations now face stricter penalties.
President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 troops on June 7 to handle escalating protests against immigration enforcement raids in the Los Angeles area, a move the state’s governor termed “purposefully inflammatory.” (ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images)
William Jacobson, a law professor at Cornell University and founder of EqualProtect.org, offered a sharp critique of California’s criminal justice policies in light of the emergence of looters during the ongoing L.A. protests against immigration enforcement.
“Looting and violence have always been illegal, even in California,” Jacobson told Fox News Digital. “Unfortunately, California’s lax enforcement of the criminal laws, including the former decriminalization of shoplifting, has created a culture of criminality that has played out in numerous riots over the years.”
“The current riots against immigration enforcement and violence targeting both ICE and the community are part of the California political ecosystem,” he said.
Looters in LA
Several stores across downtown Los Angeles were hit by looters in the early morning hours as anti-ICE riots continued.
On Monday night, looters took to the streets and ransacked a series of storefronts, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed with Fox News Digital. Apple and Adidas were among the stores hit by thieves, as well as several mom-and-pop shops.
“What have they done to my business? I don’t know,” one local business owner shared with Fox News affiliate KKTV. “I have to go inside and see what’s going on. I don’t know what they have done with the business.”
One video, taken by Brendan Gutenschwager, captured looters ransacking an Apple storefront on Monday night.
The video captured a slew of individuals dashing up to the technology storefront and grabbing goods before dispersing as police arrived. The footage captured the store’s glass windows spray-painted with “F— ICE.”
Other photos showed ransackers disappearing into the night with stolen goods after a smash-and-grab in Compton, a city south of Los Angeles.
It was unclear if the thieves were participating in the ongoing anti-ICE protests or if they were being opportunistic of the city’s unrest.
“Let me be clear: ANYONE who vandalized Downtown or looted stores does not care about our immigrant communities,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a post to X. “You will be held accountable.”
A repairman works outside the CVS store on the corner of 7th and Spring streets in downtown Los Angeles after several nights of rioting on June 10, 2025. (Fox News Digital)
On Tuesday and Wednesday, after continued protests, other businesses set out to protect their stores.
Fox News Digital saw a T-Mobile store on the corner of 3rd Street and Broadway boarding up ahead of likely another night of protests in the city. While a security guard protected the property, a repairer worked on the CVS store on the corner of 7th and Spring streets in downtown Los Angeles after several nights of rioting.
After rioters wreaked havoc in downtown Los Angeles on Monday night, workers boarded up the T-Mobile store on the corner of 3rd Street and Broadway on June 10, 2025. (Fox News Digital)
Attorney General Pam Bondi offered a blunt message to would-be robbers and looters in the deep-blue city on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday.
“If you loot a business in California during this, we’re charging you with robbery under the Hobbs Act. No longer are the days of non-prosecution for looting. It’s a criminal act,” she said.
The administration is also determined to crack down on those who inflict harm on law enforcement.
“We’ve all made over 190 arrests, [and] more [are] coming. If you hit a police officer, you assault a police officer, state or federal, we are coming after you.”
