Five people were arrested Tuesday in connection to the looting incident at Ruben’s Bakery & Mexican Food in Compton.
Out of the five arrested, one was a 13-year-old who backed up a Kia SUV through the front door of the building, which opened it up for people to steal. The other four people arrested are adults. The arrested are facing charges ranging from commercial burglary, felony vandalism, incitement to riot, and possession of stolen property.
“Our goal is to arrest every single individual that was out there,” L.A. Sheriff Robert Luna said. “You participate in this kind of activity at night and you think you may have gotten away with it. We're gonna go after you. That's the bottom line.”
He also said it was video evidence and tips that led them to the five suspects who were arrested.
The incident happened January 2. It was estimated at the time that 100 people were involved in the takeover.
Ruben Ramirez Jr, whose family owns the bakery, told KNX News’ Pete Demetriou he’s happy about the arrests made.
“There is satisfaction, of course, because I do want people to get punished, not just let go,” he said. “I'm happy that they arrested some people and, you know, hopefully they get punished and people see that there would be consequences for your actions.”
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He added that he has a lot of faith in the sheriff’s department.
“They've been doing a good job, keeping me up to date with everything and they've been keeping me in the loop,” he said. “So I hope they do get more people.”
There was $40,000 worth of damage done to the store, but Ramirez said that a fundraising effort from the community has helped raise enough money for the bakery to reopen.
He expects the 48-year-old bakery to remain in business for another 48 years.
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