A group of teen thugs, hooligans, and delinquents broke into a family-owned Los Angeles market store on Saturday and caused over $30,000 in damages.
Nathan Abdullatif, the owner of A-Z Market, wrote in a GoFundMe fundraiser that the break-in happened during a so-called “street takeover” involving 100-150 cars and a “group of individuals” equipped with power tools.
Using the tools, the “group” broke through the store’s front window and security gate, after which dozens of hooligans reportedly stormed the store and ransacked it. In the process, they broke windows, damaged fixtures, and stole goods.
Dozens of looters broke into and ransacked a family-owned business during a street takeover in Bellflower, California on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/2FpeyHLBLq
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 18, 2026
The break-in led to damages totaling roughly $30,000.
“A-Z Market is more than just a store to us—it is our livelihood and a place we have worked hard to build and serve our local community,” Abdullatif wrote in the fundraiser. “We are asking for your support to help us repair the damage, replace the stolen merchandise, and get our business back on its feet.”
Speaking with local station KABC, Abdullatif called the attack on his family store “heartbreaking.”
“It was so shocking. It doesn’t even feel real,” he said. “You always see this in the media. You always see this in other places but when it happens to you – and everything you’ve built over the years – it’s just very hard.”
He and his co-owner, Steven, were especially shocked at how the thugs seemed to enjoy ruining their business.
“I’ve seen them coming in the store, looting, jumping all over. They went over the counter, broke it. It’s like they are having fun doing this thing,” Abdullatif told CBS News. “Within 10 minutes, all your hard working going off; it breaks my heart. We’ve built it with the whole family. My mom, dad, brother, sister; we’ve built it with love.”
“I was in shock. Total shock,” Steven added. “It was devastating.”
Abdullatif had some words for the perpetrators.
“Don’t do this to other businesses, because they work very hard to make a living,” he said. “Everything is so expensive these days, and we’re just trying to make it through.”
The assault on his family store came roughly a week after a similar assault on an East Los Angeles AutoZone. Deputies told CBS News that they were called to an intersection for reports of a “teen takeover.” When they arrived, they found the AutoZone had been completely ransacked.
A south Los Angeles Autozone was looted by a “large number of people” following a street takeover last night.
I hope you’re sitting down, nobody has been arrested.
And yes, this Autozone was looted by a “large crowd” following a street takeover last year… pic.twitter.com/4uvQwdOxi4
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) June 16, 2025
Meanwhile, the shameless hacks and propagandists at the disreputable, disgraced Poynter Institute have penned a piece calling for so-called “journalists” to be more sensitive to the poor, poor teens.
The problem, according to the repugnant nonprofit, is that “teen takeover” is mean and doesn’t consider the kids’ feelings.
“It’s the first fact the reader gets, and it arrives before any real facts do. By the time you report how many people showed up and what actually happened, the reader already knows what to feel because of the verb in the headline,” fake “doctor” Kevin Beckford told the propaganda outlet.
“‘Takeover’ says threat. ‘Gathering’ says something else entirely. Reporters should use gathering as a word of description,” the shameless huckster added.
Poynter also advised “journalists” to avoid playing any incriminating video footage to the public, because obviously, it’s not fair to the teens that they be exposed for their horrible, vile behavior.
And the fake “institute” recommended “journalists” avoid using adjectives and adverbs that accurately describe what happened.
“Remove sensationalized language such as unruly, frenzy, scourge, swarms, hordes, mobs, invasion, chaos, melee and mayhem,” Poynter says.
Poynter Institute is the owner of PolitiFact, the fake “fact-checking” site that routinely rates anything a conservative says as “false” while labeling similar claims from Democrats as true.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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