TROUTDALE OR Feb 3 2013-- A group of teens targeted a Troutdale store last weekend in a 'flash rob' and investigators are trying to identify the suspects.
Investigators said as many as 40 kids entered the Albertsons store at 25691 SE Stark Street at the same time late Saturday night and started stealing things.
WATCH RAW VIDEO: Flash robbery
Security officers chased the thieves out, but no one was captured. They also left employees pretty shaken up, including one woman who was in tears after getting terrorized by the robbers.
Investigators have not said exactly how many items were taken.
"Basically it looks like they went in, just to cause chaos, which they accomplished," said Sgt. Steve Bevens with the Troutdale Police Department.
Investigators believe the suspects ranged in age from 13 to 15. They could be seen on surveillance video, roaming from aisle to aisle.
Customers said the store employees were overwhelmed and outnumbered.
"They [thieves] were bragging and laughing about how much stuff they stole and what they did in the store," one witness told KGW.
If caught, the suspects could face several charges including rioting, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.
This was one of several flash rob-style robberies being investigated in the Portland Metro area over past months.
The robbers emulate the popular and peaceful flash mob gatherings now common throughout the world. Instead of synchronized entertainment, those in a flash rob use a large gathering as a source of distraction as they commit a crime.
source-kgw.com
Investigators said as many as 40 kids entered the Albertsons store at 25691 SE Stark Street at the same time late Saturday night and started stealing things.
WATCH RAW VIDEO: Flash robbery
Security officers chased the thieves out, but no one was captured. They also left employees pretty shaken up, including one woman who was in tears after getting terrorized by the robbers.
Investigators have not said exactly how many items were taken.
"Basically it looks like they went in, just to cause chaos, which they accomplished," said Sgt. Steve Bevens with the Troutdale Police Department.
Investigators believe the suspects ranged in age from 13 to 15. They could be seen on surveillance video, roaming from aisle to aisle.
Customers said the store employees were overwhelmed and outnumbered.
"They [thieves] were bragging and laughing about how much stuff they stole and what they did in the store," one witness told KGW.
If caught, the suspects could face several charges including rioting, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.
This was one of several flash rob-style robberies being investigated in the Portland Metro area over past months.
The robbers emulate the popular and peaceful flash mob gatherings now common throughout the world. Instead of synchronized entertainment, those in a flash rob use a large gathering as a source of distraction as they commit a crime.
source-kgw.com