A group of about 300 car culturists rolled through southern Solano County overnight, descending on the city of Benicia and engaging in light looting and high-speed games of tag with law enforcement into the early morning.
A CVS store at 2100 Columbus Parkway was broken into and looted, though it was not immediately clear what thieves were taking.
Benicia police arrived, stopping and impounding cars while others took evasive action and scattered onto nearby roads and highways in a game of cat-and-mouse that spread into Contra Costa and Alameda counties and kept law enforcement busy into the early morning. Reports that police were targeted with rocks and other missiles could not be immediately confirmed.
Looting is wrong and should result in serious jail time.
I kind of understand why they loot a Neiman’s, though. These criminals are making a risk calculation that involves high value items on one side of the equation. I don’t understand looting a CVS. Why are you making a risk calculation that favors a box of wine, a Shoebox greeting card, and a pack of Big Red gum?
Stealing is wrong. Period.
When you start justifying things you end up on a slippery slope.
I didn’t justify anything. But it takes a special level of stupid to make CVS your theft target.
I work at cvs and they looted one in vallejo and they only get to the pharmacy to steal controlled medications and resell them that is why the go in cvs shame on them
If those medications aren’t locked up in a way that takes some time and effort to steal, then shame on CVS, too. The ability to legally sell controlled substances should come with a heightened degree of responsibility. No need to lock up the L’Oreal foundation products at night, but the narcotics should be locked up after closing.
What type of idiotic “news” publication is this? These are CRIMINALS, not car “culturalists.” Where are these thugs from – “underserved” communities?? What a surprise…
The type of news publication you come to apparently.
Believe it or not, CVS is a Drug Store……
They have way more security around the drugs than they do the mouthwash.
I guess I’m kinda dense. I can’t get my mind to understand what “light looting” means. Was the loot only items that weighed very little or the amount of merchandise looted?
Either way, they looted, which is a felonious crime.
I wonder how much planning took place before this invasion got started? I believe that there was a great deal of planning involved.
I believe this was a coordinated message to the Police.
They thumbed their noses at all of our law-abiding citizens as well as Law Enforcement. And a lot of them got away with it.
Pretty clear that they didn’t get to spend a lot of time inside the store, probably because of the police response. So shelves not stripped bare….
I thought it meant they looted light bulbs.
Odd behavior. Most of the car clubs just like to drive around, race a little, and show of their wheels.
Lived in sf and Im not sure I guess you just go in and grab anything less than 1000 bucks and cops won’t even bother you. So much for all the taxes we pay.
Are you guys covering Benicia now?
Anywhere our readers seem to want us, Robin!
Stupid reporting. Makes it sound like “car culturalist” is a sport rather than what it truly is – an obnoxious, in your face disrespectful, illegal thug activity that is loud, a nuisance and leaves horrible marks on the pavement. It also brings disrespectful “car culturalist” fans” that Do not respect private property or law enforcement. Not to mention disrespecting the community they don’t live in. This was no “game of cat and mouse” it was outright criminal behavior and endangerment of others. What if they ram into a car as they “engaged in high speed games of tag with law enforcement.” Across contra vista and Alameda county. As I said “ “Stupid reporting.”
Perhaps your reporting should help be written to deter this type of criminal activity instead of making light of it by using words that “roll through and over” as if this is an innocent activity? It’s not- it’s public endangerment!
Feel free to start your own endeavor and use the words you choose. We’ll drop by…
I wouldn’t do it JVD — it’s pretty clear they have a better vocabulary than you do.
You are obviously not a regular reader.
New reader clearly unfamiliar with the tone and phrasing this site is known for.
JVD opened with an insult, was unable to back up their position and showed themselves unable to comprehend simple facts. It happens a lot these days. Arguing past it and convincing themselves they were right is also a sign of the times.
The saying is true: Birds of a feather flock together. You too are part of the problem. As a “journalist” was you lack good judgement. Perhaps you should discourage this type of behavior before someone is seriously hurt or killed while these thugs “play tag with law” enforcement
It’s not their job to “discourage this type of behavior.” Their job is to report the news.
News24-680: you’re missing the point. Public endangerment is a crime.
You must be a newbie JV. This is the ONLY site bringing this type of thing to public attention.
Bonnie and Kim. It is a reporters ethical responsibility for o do their job in an unbiased way and to report balanced news and in doing so deter not encourage ongoing criminal behavior. The piece made a mockery of law enforcement and was soft on criminal behavior reporting by using “light looting” “playing tag with law enforcement “. Not a newbie sorry but a realist calling a spade a spade as we see garbage in all its glory spewing across our cities. Perhaps you ought to check the local Patch? Perhaps you enjoy living in this type of destructive environment?
I saw no encouragement and no mockery of the type you mention. I’m also beginning to think you may be police. That’s fine and there are a lot of police here. I don’t see “garbage in all its glory spewing across our cities” (wow) and I don’t read Patch – they get most of their stories from this site. Perhaps you enjoy making people believe they live in a destructive environment but I don’t see that either.
Dan- you must be blind. Not a police officer just a law abiding citizen that was raised to be respectful of others and others’ property, including law enforcement.
JVD- My vision is 20/20 and my sense of smell is better. I can tell when someone is spreading BS and I’m smelling it here. You’re entitled not to like how this site gathers the news but that begs the question – why are you here? Plenty of available police sites to get copaganda – which is what I think you want. This site was the first with this story again – and has been with plenty of others. Facts surfacing since the night this happened prove they were right on from the beginning. Of 200 or so cars only one arrest with a small group breaking into CVS and stealing – snacks and water. That’s not looting, thats opportunism and “light looting” seemed correct since it occurred under the cover of the car thing, sideshow, rolling whatever. Car culturists – not culturalists – seemed to describe the automotive theme of the evening and police from other agencies admitted they were busy chasing cars from this group into the night. Since only one or two were caught or crashed “playing tag” seems – once again – to be an appropriate term. Since this same method of cover — lots of cars, diversionary tactics etc — was used during the widespread looting, actual looting, in WC and elsewhere this site was absolutely right in following events. You don’t like it here so I expect you’ll be leaving soon but I like to know what’s going on and this site gives me that. Plus, my teachers told me I was a retentive reader as well as a critical thinker so I have no trouble getting what they are saying.
Ok,from what I understand this happened at the location of Columbus Pkwy and Rose Dr. Back in the day we (teenagers young adults) would hold drag races late at night on Columbus Pkwy.
Now, since most cars are small imports. Kids spin around in circles. The article doesn’t mention the size of the crowd or whether they were local or not. I’m sure a couple kids or “young adults” thought they could pry the door open with a crowbar. The glass wasn’t broken and “light looting” …what did they grab? Some gum, breath mints? Whatever was close by before running away…or speeding away.
The article catches your eye but really doesn’t give a lot of facts. I grew up here and back in the day it was cruising and drag races. Now it’s “side shows” and whatever else they do. I’m sure I could’ve wrote a story,and I’m sure they did, back in the day about youth out of control and it would have caught your eye like this article. The internet can make anything sound “sensational” especially when anyone can post it. So take it for what it is.
We were all young and some of us did stupid things in our youth before we became “responsible adults”. Lol, at least most of us did!
“A group of about 300 car culturists…..”
Literally the first 7 words of the article. I’m beginning to believe people who say Americans can’t read.
Sensational? Since a similar number of — what do you want to call them??? — “car enthusiasts” “fun loving kids”??? — grouped up and did this before the looting spree in Walnut Creek its naive to think this site WOULDN’T cover this incident, particularly since the looting in Walnut Creek and other East Bay cities got INTERNATIONAL attention.