Stores looted in Center City, North Philadelphia and Northeast Philadelphia Tuesday night

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Multiple groups of looters hit retail stores and at least one small business in different Philadelphia neighborhoods Tuesday night. Police made multiple arrests and recovered stolen merchandise in some of the incidents.

Much of the activity was focused in Center City, but there was also looting in North Philadelphia and Northeast Philadelphia.

In Center City, groups of mostly young people looted several stores and there was a reported assault at a Foot Locker.

CBS Philadelphia was on the scene where a large roving group looted several stores including the Foot Locker at 15th and Chestnut Streets and the Apple Store on Walnut Street near 16th.

Along with the looting of stores, police say a security guard was assaulted at the Foot Locker. 

Our cameras also saw looting at the nearby Lululemon store on Walnut Street in Rittenhouse Square.

Police say the group in that area had large plastic bags that they were filling up with stolen store merchandise. 

Police estimate as many as 100 juveniles were looting in Center City and about 15-20 have been arrested.

The looting was not limited to Center City – stores in North Philadelphia were hit as well, including Patriot Pharmacy on 22nd Street and Indiana Avenue. The pharmacy owner told us the looters used a pickaxe to break through the acrylic glass and take items.

“It’s a bit disappointing,” owner Benjamin Nachum said. “This is the third time we got looted.” 

“I understand that everything’s rough out here and the nature of affairs right now is not particularly great,” Nachum added. “I just wish that people understood we’re actually trying to serve the community and maybe just let it go.”

Nachum said the pharmacy’s safe was effective and luckily no narcotics were taken.

There was also looting in Northeast Philadelphia. Chopper 3 was over a Gamestop on Aramingo Avenue and our cameras saw someone getting arrested.

We also saw officers find a car full of what appeared to be stolen items from the nearby Aldi grocery store in the trunk.

Thieves tried to use a stolen Kia to break in to a Curaleaf medical marijuana dispensary at 51st Street and City Avenue in the city’s Wynnefield section.

It’s not clear what was taken, but several display cases were broken.

Multiple Philadelphia Police commanders confirm to CBS Philadelphia’s Joe Holden that the looting has no connection to earlier demonstrations over the dismissal of charges in the death of Eddie Irizarry.

New Interim Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Stanford, who took over last week, addressed the looting and reiterated that same point: the looting had nothing to do with the protest over a judge’s decision to drop the charges against Dial.

“What we had tonight was a bunch of criminal opportunists take advantage of a situation and make an attempt to destroy our city,” Stanford said. “Again, it’s not going to be tolerated. We made arrests and we will continue to make arrests until we have all of the individuals, or a number of the individuals that have been responsible for what we’ve seen tonight, in custody.”

Earlier protests concluded peacefully, according to police sources. 

Irizarry’s family has said they do not want anyone damaging property in their son’s name. In a Sept. 8 news conference, officials released footage from Dial and his partner’s body cameras showing the shooting – and District Attorney Larry Krasner made that point.

“The family repeatedly said to me, and the family’s counsel repeatedly said to me, that they do not want any criminal unrest, they do not want any rioting, they do not want any looting, they do not want anyone to claim that what this video depicts or the nature of the case or the event itself justifies any criminal behavior,” Krasner said. “That that would be a violation of their respect, their love and their reverence for young Eddie Irizarry.”