Mob of people overwhelm an Iowa Casey’s. Within a minute, chaos ensues, video shows
In a video, dozens of people are seen walking into an already-busy Iowa Casey’s General Store late at night, and within about one minute, it turns into complete chaos.
A display gets thrown.
Some items are left on the floor.
People rush out with what appears to be drinks and food — a couple with their hands up.
Two employees, inundated by the large number of people, walk out from behind their registers and start directing people out of the building.
A clerk, seemingly worried about one of the customers who was sitting in the store before the incident, grabs her with both hands and carries her away from the crowd.
State media, such as The Des Moines Register, call what happened July 3 at the Casey’s a “flash rob,” and police are still looking for those responsible.
Police said the large-scale robbery started at around 10:20 p.m. July 3 at a Casey’s store in Cedar Rapids, according to a news release posted on Facebook.
A “large number of individuals” went inside, and some allegedly assaulted customers, took merchandise and damaged store property, police said.
No one was seriously injured.
Police told The Gazette on Wednesday that one person has since been arrested, though police have not released an identity, and it’s unclear whether the person has been charged.
In an effort to identify people who were in the store at the time, police uploaded surveillance video. The video, posted to YouTube Monday, has garnered more than 27,000 views.
Police have received more than 50 tips so far, The Des Moines Register reported.
“This is unacceptable behavior in the community,” Cedar Rapids Public Information Officer Greg Buelow told The Register. “Obviously this was planned.”
Another instance of a flash mob robbery happened last weekend in Fresno, California. Surveillance video there showed a group of young men taking $27,000 worth of electronics from the Apple Store, according to The Associated Press.
This story was originally published July 12, 2018 at 1:39 PM with the headline "Mob of people overwhelm an Iowa Casey’s. Within a minute, chaos ensues, video shows."