PHILADELPHIA, June 27 (UPI) -- Police in Pennsylvania say dozens of teenagers invaded a Sears store with the "flash mob" making off with thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise.
Police said they believe the raid on the store in the Philadelphia suburb of Upper Darby Thursday was organized through social networking, though which site was involved was not clear, the Philadelphia Daily News reported Monday.
The youths, ranging in age from 11 to 19, traveled together on public transportation and arrived at the store about 7 p.m., police said.
The group, estimated at about 40 strong, spread throughout the store, and began to "rob, steal and pillage," Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said.
Officers responding to calls arrested 16 suspects.
One, 19, was charged with retail theft and corrupting the morals of a minor, while the other 15, all juveniles, were charged with retail theft and released to the custody of their parents, Chitwood said.
"When this mob mentality comes to a community and robs a village, there has to be consequences," he said. "That's the only way you're going to stop this."
In a similar incident in Chicago last Tuesday, about 50 teenagers stormed a Walgreens store, taking bottled drinks and sandwiches without paying, police said.
Chicago's "Magnificent Mile" has attracted violent teen mobs in recent months, and police have increased their patrols, Chicago's WBBM-TV reported.
