“Every day somebody comes to get something that they don’t want to pay for,” said Royal Farms employee, Lee Evans.
In his three years working at the Brewers Hill convenience store, Evans says shoplifting is worse than ever before.
“Multiple times a day?” questioned a FOX45 reporter.
“All day long,” Evans replied. “Today a lady came in and she started stealing sunglasses. It seems like it can’t be stopped, or nothing can be done about it.”
ALSO READ |
The 7-Eleven across from The Shops at Canton Crossing is facing the same surge of shoplifters. A sign on the store’s front door now reads, “No backpacks allowed.”
The store has also cut back its hours — no longer open 24/7, instead, closing between midnight and 5 a.m.
Earlier this year, security cameras captured about a dozen teenagers stealing items off the shelves. The store manager tried to confront them, but then the thieves turned violent, slamming him against a wall.
“It was terrible. I said, you have to pay for that. Then he started pushing me,” recalled 7-Eleven’s manager Amrit Kharki. “Things are getting very, very worse especially with the kids.”
According to data from BPD, shoplifting is skyrocketing in the Southeast district, jumping from 396 incidents this time last year to 666 so far this year — a 68% increase.
“Oh, I believe it,” said Evans. “That’s why a lot of the business around here closed because they stole so much out of it.”
As for what’s driving the rise that’s driving out businesses, Baltimore police point to “opportunistic thefts, repeat offenders and incidents involving young people.”
ALSO READ |
In response, the department says its stepping up patrols in the area, focusing on stores hit the hardest, and partnering with juvenile services and community groups to deter young offenders.
“They are not scared of anything. They think like, it’s fun,” said Kharki.
But for local businesses, it’s a serious problem.
“We wish that we could get some help,” said Evans. “Because we really need it bad.”