Compton Gas Station Under Siege: Owner Pleads for Action Amid Repeated Lootings

COMPTON, Calif. – A Compton gas station owner is calling for accountability after his business has been repeatedly looted by large mobs, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages and zero arrests.

Ali Misaghi, owner of the Arco AM/PM located at Alondra Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue, says he and his employees are living in fear. Despite numerous calls for help, he claims law enforcement has failed to respond adequately.

Surveillance and cellphone video footage from multiple incidents reveal scenes of chaos as vandals ransack shelves, destroy equipment, and steal cash and merchandise. The most recent attack on June 30 caused over $50,000 in damages. The previous break-in on June 7 — during which Misaghi had closed his business preemptively due to ICE activity — ended up costing $150,000 after looters broke in anyway, staying for an estimated eight hours with no law enforcement response.

“They break all the registers, take whatever money is inside the register. They get into the safe, ATM machine, the scratchers. But on top of that, the employees. They threaten the employees,” Misaghi said.

Employees are reportedly traumatized, and Misaghi says even when they aren’t being looted, the location is under threat by dangerous street racers doing donuts near gas pumps.

While Misaghi says individual officers express a willingness to help, they are outnumbered and under-resourced. To date, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has not issued an official statement.

Read more at: https://www.foxla.com/news/compton-arco-ampm-breakin

Statement from the Citizens' Coalition for Change:

The Citizens' Coalition for Change expresses deep disgust and disappointment at the lawlessness that continues to plague our community. These break-ins and acts of looting are unacceptable, and we stand in full solidarity with Mr. Misaghi and his employees. We demand that law enforcement prioritize the investigation of these criminal acts and bring those responsible to justice. The residents of Compton will not tolerate this ongoing violence against local businesses that serve and sustain our neighborhoods.