Flash mob robbery

This article contains content from Wikipedia An article on this subject has been nominated for deletion on Wikipedia: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/ Flash mob robbery Current versions of the GNU FDL article on WP may contain information useful to the improvement of this article

WP+ NO DEL

A Flash Mob Robbery (also called Flash Rob or Mob Rob) is an organized form of theft in which a group of participants enter a retail or convenience store en masse (in large numbers) and steal as many items as they can carry, and vanish before police arrive. Typically, store workers become overwhelmed and are unable to stop it.

Overview

Flash mob robberies operate using speed and sheer numbers in order to intimidate any resistance and complete the act before police can respond. While often viewed as a form of theft or looting (the illegal taking of items), these crimes more closely fit the definition of robbery because the large crowd creates an implied threat of violence should employees or bystanders attempt to intervene. Many investigations into these robberies have shown that they are planned ahead of time using social media (WP), and the participants do not all necessarily know each other personally.

Origins

The term often used by the media for this type of event is "Flash mob robberies," which originates from flash mob (WP)s, where people gather and perform an unannounced, choreographed performance. Law enforcement generally prefers to avoid this term as too misleading, instead preferring more technical names such as "mass theft" or "mass robbery." In the United States, flash mob robberies became prevalent early in 2011 and flash mob robberies occurred in large cities such as Chicago, Illinois and Houston, Texas.

References

Additional sources

• Murphy, Pat. 7-11 flash mob: Maryland police investigate store robbery (Video). The Christian Science Monitor. URL accessed on May 17, 2012.Template:crime-stub