A California man crusaded through a homeless camp for his stolen merchandise after thieves robbed him over Thanksgiving, the New York Post reported.
It was the day before the holiday, and owner Will Luna had just closed up his “Extraordinaire Arcade” in San Bernardino, California.
Not long after, a woman hiding in the store’s attic dropped in and let 18 others into the store, where they would spend the next two nights.
The thieves ransacked Luna’s shop, even stealing a whole arcade unit.
“There was an X-Men 4-player that was right there,” Luna told KTTV in Los Angeles. “They took a full-sized game right out the door. I have pictures and video of them dragging it out.”
Luna, who learned of the burglary Friday morning, estimated the damages would set him back $12,000.
But the thieves didn’t stop there.
While encamped, they crawled up into the attic and dropped into the salon next door, KTTV reported.
“They dropped down, but I have double locks on each door,” said Salon Metro owner Teri Sandoval.
Does allowing homeless encampments encourage crime?
“So, they were like caged animals. They couldn’t get back out once they got in, and I can speak through my security system. So, I [was] screaming at them, ‘The cops are on the way, you better get the heck out of here!’”
The thieves managed to escape before police arrived.
Both Luna and Sandoval believed the criminals lived in a nearby homeless camp.
“I say [they were] homeless because we have them on surveillance camera, and I recognize some of them,” Luna said. “I’m not going to just accuse anybody. We saw them.”
As police investigated, a vagrant tipped off Luna, telling him he had seen his stolen merchandise in a nearby encampment.
But when Luna called police, he discovered he was on his own.
“I said, ‘Why can’t you guys just move this s*** and go in there?’ They said, ‘We can’t.’ It violated homeless rights,” Luna told the New York Post. “I said, ‘I don’t give a f*** about how many rights they have. These people have my stuff.’”
Police told Luna that while they weren’t allowed to go in, he could.
“I just went through all their tents. I started knocking that s*** down,” Luna said. “I was ripping all the tents up. And I start finding my stuff.”
Luna rampaged through one encampment before moving on to another across the street, as he reacquired gaming accessories, parts and snacks.
But his most valuable possessions — like his numerous PlayStation 5 consoles and X-Men arcade cabinet — he never found.
The war has apparently just begun, however.
Not long after his campaign through the camps, someone set his shop on fire.
“They’re f***ing with us hard now,” Luna said.
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