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A video showing teenagers trashing local businesses has gone viral. The teens made the video themselves and posted it online.
It shows them walking through stores and knocking down aisles of food from shelves. At Walmart, one of the vandals skateboards through the store, refusing to stop at the request of an employee.
At Toys R Us, they dive head first into a large display of toy trucks. They are also seen throwing around books and jumping into book shelves at local book stores.
Tampa Police Officer Harry Augello is looking into the video.
"These kids are nothing but a bunch of punks. They got nothing better to do," said Augello. "So they're going to go and try and intimidate whoever they can out there."
Augello says it appears the incidents occurred at stores in the Riverview area of Hillsborough County. That is the jurisdiction of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Spokesperson Debbie Carter says the sheriff's office has not received any reports from the businesses that were targeted.
Augello says the teens hit WalMart, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, J.C. Penney, as well as other businesses.
"If there was any damage done to any of the property, you're looking at probably criminal mischief," Augello said. "And at the very least, you want to get these kids trespassed."
These days, it appears some people will do anything for hits on YouTube.
"People are commenting on (the video) like it's funny," said Stephanie Clark, with private security firm PCG International in Tampa.
Clark says this kind of mischief often goes unreported, but shouldn't.
"My best advice is for the community is to work together with local law enforcement and private security, if they have that in their community or even in these stores," said Clark. "To report this, so we can all stop this."
Authorities have names of possible teens involved. They say they have identified at least one for sure.
"As a parent also, I think if my child was doing this, I think there would be some serious repercussions for it," Augello said. "If we find out who they are and we find out who their parents are, I'm sure they'll probably get a visit from someone in law enforcement."
The businesses FOX 13 reached out to declined to comment or wouldn't confirm whether their stores were targeted.
Do Master
here in finland i got arrested when i broke one t-shirt in store :D lol :D
HHenu 2 months ago 47
Dear Stephanie Clark, THIS IS FUNNY
Blastbox4 3 weeks ago 3