Universal Gear Robbed Wednesday

As you can see from THIS VIDEO, Universal Gear on 14th Street, NW, was robbed on Wednesday evening. Actually, I might categorize this as a "mass shoplifting" as nearly 10 individuals were involved and though they didn't use weapons, their intent was clear and they stole thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.

The video was sent to me this morning, and 22 people have viewed the video online when I saw it. I immedately posted it to my Facebook, which led to dozens of people seeing it and passing it along, and reposting it.

With an hour, I learned that Sgt. Brett Parsons of MPD had been alerted to it through my network. Sgt. Parsons reached out to Universal Gear and was able to obtain an even better video of the theives. MPD is now taking the photos, blowing them up, and targeting some probable hot spots where they believe the suspects may live or visit frequently.

Additionally, MPD is now conducting a training course for Universal Gear employees for what to look for in shop lifters, and how to deal with criminals and/or suspected criminals in similar circumstances.

The main point when you see things like this happen is to alert folks to what is going on, and turn your outrage into action. It's not helpful to say, "Oh, that never happened with Universal Gear was on 17th Street...". That's not the point. The point is to say, "How can I help get the word out about this, and help train for future instances?"

Let's work together and take back our city from criminals, while protecting individual rights and liberties. Have a great weekend, everyone.