Watch Out for Flash Looters

Dear Fellow Survivalist;

A few months ago I talked about looters being active during the holiday season, stealing Christmas gifts from people’s cars and off of the front porch. That’s a very real issue this time of year; but there’s another type of looting going on; one that’s new to the scene and is a whole lot more dangerous. That’s the flash looting that’s going on in some of our biggest stores. These flash mobs, stealing things right and left, pose some real danger to us all.

The phenomenon has come about because of the public decision of some District Attorneys to stop prosecuting shoplifting and theft crimes if the total value of what is stolen is under $1,000. The criminal element has responded to that, realizing that in effect those DAs have moved those crimes from the black zone into the grey, making it acceptable to steal anything they want, just as long as they don’t steal more than $999 worth of goods at one time. The police will just stand by and watch; there isn’t even the inconvenience of catch and release to worry about.

It should have been obvious what would have happened, but apparently it wasn’t to them. But then, as far as I know, every one of the DAs which have put forth this as policy is a Democrat. So maybe they weren’t able to foresee the results of their policy changes. Regardless of that, people living in those jurisdictions have a new problem to worry about.

Fortunately, I don’t live in such an area; but I’m sure that at least some of you do or might be visiting such an area during the Christmas holidays. So just how do we deal with such a situation, should we encounter it.

First, we need to realize just how dangerous a situation this is. We’re talking a mob situation here, with everything that’s included in the mob mentality. While they might be there to steal what they can and get away, that doesn’t mean that they will limit themselves to that activity alone. As with any other mob, it can turn violent quickly.

With that in mind, the best thing for any of us is to not be there. That means avoiding places which are likely to be struck by mob looting. That basically means avoiding the high end stores, as those seem to be the ones that the mobs are mostly going after. If you’ve got to shop those stores in a Democrat controlled city, you really might want to consider doing your shopping online and saving yourself the hassle and risk of going in the stores.

But these attacks aren’t limited to just the trendy, expensive stores; nor are they going to stay limited to just stores in Democrat cities. As criminals see other criminals success in these mass raids, they’re going to adapt the tactics used and do it themselves. Police just can’t respond quickly enough to encircle a store that’s being mob looted and arrest 30 or 40 people as they come out the door. And if the police show up, all those people have to do is drop whatever they’ve grabbed before getting to the door and they’re home free. They haven’t committed any crime.

So again, what do we do if we find ourselves in a store that’s suddenly being flash looted?

As much as you and I might like to be the hero and try to stop them, I don’t recommend trying. No matter what you’re carrying as your daily carry, they can overcome you and trample you to death. You probably don’t even carry enough rounds to deal with that big a mob.

The best thing you can do is to get out of the way. That may not mean going out the front door. It only makes sense to try and get out the front door if you are close to it and if you can get out before the looters get there. Once they’ve started to make their exit, than you want to do everything you can to avoid the door. It will become the most dangerous place in the store.

As crazy as it might sound, a better option is to head for the back of the store. Everyone in the store, both the customers and the looters, is going to be heading for the door. It may very well become dangerous just because of the mass of people trying to get through. On the other hand, nobody is going to be heading for the back of the store; so by going there, you get out of everyone’s way.

It may be that you’re somewhere in the middle of the store and aren’t sure where the back is. In that case, head for the nearest wall. That will accomplish the same thing and once you’re at the wall, you can take a moment to figure out where the back is. Remember, your primary responsibility is to keep your family safe; not to capture the criminals. Ignore the temptation to go after them and make sure that you and your family are safe. Do that first, and then you can look to see if there is anything else you can do, like shooting some video for the police to use.

In the mean time, stay aware and stay safe. That’s really what it is all about. That’s why we keep our powder dry and our survival gear close at hand.

Dr. Rich