California looters now face 'hard-charging' consequences after blue state abandoned soft-on-crime approach

Amid the continuing unrest and flash mob-style looting incidents successful Los Angeles, California is making a important pivot toward tougher transgression enforcement.

Criminal defence lawyer David Wohl told Fox News Digital that the ineligible consequences are nary longer a slap connected the wrist for looters pursuing the reversal of Proposition 47, which notably did not criminalize theft nether $950.

"Now we person a precise conservative, hard-charging DA successful Los Angeles," Wohl said. "He’s adding up what is stolen by each idiosyncratic co-defendant, and if that’s implicit $950, everybody’s getting charged with felonies." 

In a metropolis erstwhile known for turning a unsighted oculus to petty theft and brushed prosecution, looters who are taking vantage of protests implicit national migration operations present look stricter penalties.

CALIFORNIA'S SOROS-BACKED PROGRESSIVE EXPERIMENT COLLAPSES AFTER A DECADE

Looters interruption into a state presumption during a riot implicit national migration operations successful Compton, Calif., connected June 8, 2025. (ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images)

In 2014, California voters approved Proposition 47, a ballot inaugural that reclassified respective nonviolent felonies, including shoplifting, theft and cause possession, arsenic misdemeanors if the worth progressive was $950 oregon less.

Supporters argued the measurement would trim situation overcrowding and redirect authorities funds to further programming. Critics argued that it contributed to a noticeable summation successful retail theft and emboldened looters.

A gathering successful downtown Los Angeles was vandalized with the words "Kill a cop" amid ongoing anti-ICE rioting successful the metropolis connected June 10, 2025. (Peter D'Abrosca/Fox News Digital)

In 2024, voters voiced their concerns and overwhelmingly chose a crisp people correction from the progressive reforms that Proposition 47 implemented and voted successful favour of Proposition 36.

Prop 36 restored the quality to record felony charges against repetition offenders, careless of whether their latest transgression falls nether the $950 limit. It besides enhances penalties for radical theft and organized looting, which had antecedently fallen into ineligible grey zones nether Prop 47.

The displacement stems from a increasing rejection of the erstwhile transgression justness exemplary championed by erstwhile District Attorney George Gascon, who Wohl described arsenic "more wide than a batch of nationalist defenders." 

Under Gascon's leadership, prosecution was often delayed oregon diminished, with an accent connected giving offenders "second, third, fourth, 5th chances," Wohl said.

LOS ANGELES OFFICIALS STILL ON ‘PROGRESSIVE WARPATH’ DESPITE OVERWHELMING VOTER REBUKE OF LEFTIST POLICIES

President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 troops connected June 7 to grip escalating protests against migration enforcement raids successful the Los Angeles area, a determination the state's politician termed "purposefully inflammatory." (ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP via Getty Images)

William Jacobson, a instrumentality prof astatine Cornell University and laminitis of EqualProtect.org, offered a crisp critique of California’s transgression justness policies successful airy of the emergence of looters during the ongoing L.A. protests against migration enforcement.

"Looting and unit person ever been illegal, adjacent successful California," Jacobson told Fox News Digital. "Unfortunately, California's lax enforcement of the transgression laws, including the erstwhile decriminalization of shoplifting, has created a civilization of criminality that has played retired successful galore riots implicit the years."

"The existent riots against migration enforcement and unit targeting some ICE and the assemblage are portion of the California governmental ecosystem," helium said.

Looters successful LA

Several stores crossed downtown Los Angeles were deed by looters successful the aboriginal greeting hours arsenic anti-ICE riots continued.

On Monday night, looters took to the streets and ransacked a bid of storefronts, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed with Fox News Digital. Apple and Adidas were among the stores deed by thieves, arsenic good arsenic respective mom-and-pop shops. 

"What person they done to my business? I don't know," 1 section concern proprietor shared with Fox News affiliate KKTV. "I person to spell wrong and spot what's going on. I don't cognize what they person done with the business."

WATCH:

One video, taken by Brendan Gutenschwager, captured looters ransacking an Apple storefront connected Monday night. 

The video captured a slew of individuals dashing up to the exertion storefront and grabbing goods earlier dispersing arsenic constabulary arrived. The footage captured the store's solid windows spray-painted with "F--- ICE."

Other photos showed ransackers disappearing into the nighttime with stolen goods aft a smash-and-grab successful Compton, a metropolis southbound of Los Angeles.

It was unclear if the thieves were participating successful the ongoing anti-ICE protests oregon if they were being opportunistic of the city's unrest.

"Let maine beryllium clear: ANYONE who vandalized Downtown oregon looted stores does not attraction astir our migrant communities," Mayor Karen Bass said in a station to X. "You volition beryllium held accountable."

A repairman works extracurricular the CVS store connected the country of 7th and Spring streets successful downtown Los Angeles aft respective nights of rioting connected June 10, 2025. (Fox News Digital)

On Tuesday and Wednesday, aft continued protests, different businesses acceptable retired to support their stores.

Fox News Digital saw a T-Mobile store connected the country of 3rd Street and Broadway boarding up up of apt different nighttime of protests successful the city. While a information defender protected the property, a repairer worked connected the CVS store connected the country of 7th and Spring streets successful downtown Los Angeles aft respective nights of rioting.

After rioters wreaked havoc successful downtown Los Angeles connected Monday night, workers boarded up the T-Mobile store connected the country of 3rd Street and Broadway connected June 10, 2025. (Fox News Digital)

Attorney General Pam Bondi offered a blunt connection to would-be robbers and looters successful the deep-blue metropolis connected "Fox & Friends" Tuesday. 

"If you loot a concern successful California during this, we're charging you with robbery nether the Hobbs Act. No longer are the days of non-prosecution for looting. It's a transgression act," she said. 

The medication is besides determined to ace down connected those who inflict harm connected law enforcement.

"We've each made implicit 190 arrests, [and] much [are] coming. If you deed a constabulary officer, you battle a constabulary officer, authorities oregon federal, we are coming aft you."

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