Flash mob robs Maryland 7-Eleven

By: Edecio Martinez
Topics: Caught on Tape

(CBS/AP) GERMANTOWN, Md. - Police in Maryland are now investigating a so-called "flash mob robbery" of a 7-Eleven in Germantown, a city 20 miles outside of Washington, D.C.

Montgomery County police say it happened around 1:45 a.m. Sunday morning. That's when more than two dozen teenagers entered the store and stole snacks, drinks and other items. They immediately left the store a minute later without paying.

Police have now identified several of the suspects through surveillance video. However, a police spokeswoman says she doesn't know how the robbery was organized.

Anyone with information on the robberies is urged to call the Montgomery County Police Department at 240-773-TIPS (8477) or 866-411-TIPS (8477).

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by bricker4ever August 18, 2011 11:21 PM EDT: We're going to hold a "Flash Buy" for this 7-11 on Tuesday Aug. 23rd. Bring your credit card. Facebook event page is up!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=271145536228966; Reply to this comment


by Leaderless August 17, 2011 6:51 PM EDT: Political correctness aside, the majority of the mob are black, surprise?
Rev. Sharpton and Rev. Jackson got a lot of blaming the do. Will it be the usual white men, greedy corporations, uncle Tom, racist cops......; Reply to this comment


by Gimmeafb August 17, 2011 12:45 PM EDT: Not to sound racist, but everyone in that video, except that one lady at the end who simply seemed bewildered, was black. In light of that, what should one think? Maybe "The Reverends" Al or Jesse Jsckson can explain this away as pure coincidence but, it sure seems to me that they figured out that enough of them get together and commit the ctime fast enough and then vanish into the night, they stand a good chance of getting away with it.
Now, if they, or any black leader, come down and condemn this, I'll eat my words.; Reply to this comment

by liselle3 August 17, 2011 11:18 AM EDT

Well, we've got their pictures... Once caught, I think a big crowd should flash mob their houses and bedrooms and help themselves to their stuff.

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by expatriate2 August 17, 2011 11:59 AM EDT: They'd probably only recover their own stuff.

by RuthBCarter August 17, 2011 10:22 AM EDT

Every group activity that is organized via social media is not a flash mob: http://******/oz4Qwb. Flash mobs, by definition, are not criminal acts; therefore, there is no such thing as "flash mob robbery." It is so frustrating to see this inaccuracy all over the media.

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by azsunriz August 17, 2011 11:59 AM EDT: I completely accept that "every group activity" is not a flash mob. However, you apparently take exception to the fact that the general public frequently associates the term "flash mob" with the possiblity criminal activity.

According to your own personal definition (and incidentally also by the source you cite which just happens to be written by you) compare that with the actual accepted "Webster" definition of the word MOB, you will discover that it is defined by the dictionary as follows:

1. a disorderly or riotous crowd of people.
2. a crowd bent on or engaged in lawless violence.
3. any group or collection of persons or things.
4. the common people; the masses; populace or multitude.
5. a criminal gang, especially one involved in drug trafficking, extortion, etc.

As you can easily understand, the word MOB associated with these "social gatherings" has already been intuitively understood to involve the possibility of criminal behavior.

Secondly, in your article, you relate that "A flash mob is defined as "a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment and/or satire."

So that you can judge for yourself whether these acts constitute criminal behavior, I would submit that what was shown on the related news video was "an unusual and seemingly pointless act, perhaps for "entertainment" of those involved.

My conclusion is that rather than to try and correct the public's apparent understanding of "flash mob" you encourage a new use of the term so that "flash gatherings" for socially acceptable purposes are not linked to the criminal behavior of unruly groups frequently considered as mobs.


by Dgunner August 17, 2011 8:48 AM EDT: These little flash mobs are just small roots of larger scale movement being born from frustration and aggravation toward the economy. In years maybe even months from now without stability in our economy more people are going to taking what they need to survive.Subway robberies will rise park muggings will increase and stealing for medicine and for food is going to become more present and open for the US citizen to expierence.People These are the good ol days.; Reply to this comment

by runawayslavegirl August 17, 2011 8:03 AM EDT

STOP!! Pump the brakes!!

This has nothing to do with Race, color or status it's the HUMAN RACE we are dealing with human behavoir not even politics. Casey Anthony -white woman killed her baby and got away with it Flash mob robbery - Black People did it, O.J Simpson black kills white woman or had her killed.. Plantation owners, KKK killed and hung black people. Jeffery Dalmer ate and killed black, white and hispanic people SO WHO THE F**** WINS!! Nobody so all races kill and steal. Flash mob groups needs to be caught and punished just like anybody else being black or white. Obama is not going to waste his time on some BS such as this we have bigger problems... Those kids there parents needs to address the issue and Montgomery county with a curfew. So who gives a crap about you living in some backwoods with your guns or urban, white middle class community gated or not no race is better than the other. All races steal and kill and whatever else dumb S*** you can think of so please leave race out of it because that is just some ignorance.

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by expatriate2 August 17, 2011 9:55 AM EDT: Saying that violence in America has nothing to do with race is like saying that the problems in Washington have nothing to do with politicians. The facts tell another story. Justice Department statistics tell us that in the past 20 years, violent crime has increased more than four times faster than the population. Young blacks (under 18) are more violent than previous generations and are 12 times more likely to be arrested for murder than young whites.
• Reports from 20 years ago told us that most victims of race crime—about 90 per cent—are white and the problem has multiplied since then.
• About 1 million white Americans are murdered, robbed, assaulted or raped by blacks each year, compared with about 132,000 blacks who are murdered, robbed, assaulted or raped by whites,
• Blacks thus committed 7.5 times more violent inter-racial crimes than whites even though the black population is only one-seventh the size of the white population. When these figures are adjusted on a per capita basis, they reveal an extraordinary disparity: blacks are committing more than 50 times the number of violent racial crimes of whites.
• Most inter-racial murders involve black assailants and white victims, with blacks murdering whites at 18 times the rate that whites murder blacks.
The problem is not a recent phenomena. Between 1954 and 1994 more than 25 million violent inter-racial crimes were committed, overwhelmingly involving black offenders and white victims, and more than 45,000 people were killed in inter-racial murders. By comparisons 58,000 Americans died in Vietnam.
The profile is not limited to violent crime. Of 27 million non-violent crimes 31 per cent of the robberies involved black offenders and white victims (while only 2 per cent in the reverse).
When all the crime figures are calculated, it appears that black Americans have committed at least 170 million crimes against white Americans in the past 30 years. And it has nothing to do with race?


by GTR5 August 17, 2011 7:52 AM EDT: I see the Swedes are acting ugly again.; Reply to this comment


by guyfrompa46 August 17, 2011 7:20 AM EDT: Here's an idea. Go to school. Get a Job, act like a human being and add something positive to society.; Reply to this comment


by guyfrompa46 August 17, 2011 7:15 AM EDT: It seems that these kids think that they do not have to follow the law. It's like they are totally oblivious. Throw them in jail even for a 30 days to try and get the point across. Unreal.; Reply to this comment