In what seems to be part of a recent crime trend, a group of about three dozen bike-riding teens swarmed a supermarket near USC before shoplifting from the store and attacking two men with homophobic slurs and rocks.
Their actions follow a similar pattern of reports of large groups of teens on bikes stealing from stores and attacking drivers across the city over the last several months.
Police arrested at least two individuals, both minors, in connection with a previous violent attack on a driver near Beverly Hills in February.
In the latest incident, a group of teenage boys rode to the Ralphs market on South Vermont Avenue near USC around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to witnesses and emergency radio dispatch reports. The teens stole bottled cocktails, Gatorade bottles and other items from the market, according to Bryan Benson, who was in the checkout line with his husband at the time.
“We heard someone yell, ‘Oh, they’re stealing,’” Benson said. “It almost sounded comedic.”
He started to record on his cellphone as several teenagers ran toward an exit with items in their arms as a security guard shouted at them. An alarm can be heard ringing inside the store on Benson’s cellphone recording. Several teens returned to the store multiple times and threw items at store employees. At one point, a security guard used pepper spray on the teens, Benson said.
Once outside the market, Benson and his husband saw the teens gathered near their car. The couple got into their vehicle and Benson honked his horn to prompt the teens to move out of the way. Some of them moved, but others didn’t, Benson said.
That’s when the teens started to make homophobic comments, Benson said. In his dashcam video, Benson can be seen stopping his car as his husband rolls down a window to ask the teens to repeat the slurs. The teens asked if they were gay, Benson said.
Incensed, the men stated they were together and kissed each other.
The teens near their car shouted, and as Benson drove away, a teenager threw his body into the driver’s side of their vehicle. Other teens can be seen in the video kicking Benson’s car. Benson said he got out of the car with pepper spray and his husband got out with a stun gun. They chased away the group near their car and Benson used the pepper spray at least once as several individuals approached the car again.
“I think we both sprang into action, understanding that we were surrounded by teens who were doing immediate damage to our property and posing an immediate threat to us,” Benson said. “Neither of us was interested in being passive victims of a hate crime in our own neighborhood.”
As the two drove away, someone hurled a rock at the driver’s side window, the dashcam footage shows.
Los Angeles police said Benson’s window was damaged and they took a report for assault with a deadly weapon and vandalism.
Police said the investigation is ongoing and do not have additional information. The LAPD said they could not say if this group of teens was connected to other incidents that have been reported around the city in recent months.
A spokesperson for Ralphs’ parent company, Kroger, said they are aware of a group of young individuals who took items from the store without paying.
“While no injuries occurred, we take the safety of our associates and customers very seriously,” the statement said. “We’ve reported the incident to local law enforcement and are fully cooperating with their investigation. As always, we continue to take proactive measures to maintain a safe and secure environment in our stores.”
Benson said he and his husband are now considering purchasing a firearm.
“Which is insane considering the threat we have in mind is a group of middle schoolers,” he said.
Benson, a creative director for a marketing agency, said he has created a website to field reports from the public about the teens.
About two hours before the couple’s run-in with the group, a person was surrounded by teens on bicycles before being punched in the face in the USC Village, according to the reported crime logs at the university.
USC’s campus police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
