MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

'Lowest of the low': Looters wreak havoc at Buffalo stores amid historic blizzard over Christmas weekend

Several videos shared on Twitter showed dozens of people looting stores and walking around with bags of stolen items

BUFFALO, NEW YORK: Looters took advantage of the deadly conditions after major winter snow caused widespread havoc that killed a total of 27 people so far across the city of Buffalo over the Christmas weekend. Several videos shared on Twitter showed dozens of people looting stores and walking around with bags of stolen items.

Police told WGRZ about two confirmed looting incidents during a Sunday evening news conference on December 25. Steven A Nigrelli, the New York State Police Superintendent, said, "We have had two confirmed reports of looting incidents where law enforcement has been dispatched and responded. Those are still under investigation as we speak. Those are isolated incidents, and it's not reflective of the great community of Western New York, and I'm sure that they'll be limited to those two incidents or at least that's our hope." Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said that multiple arrests were made the next day. He told, as reported by WIVB, “Our officers have responded to several reports. We have made a few arrests, we have intervened in some of those. We have assisted at least one location that I’m aware of in getting a store boarded up.”

READ MORE

Buffalo Blizzard: Horrifying pics show devastation caused by bomb cyclone

Death toll from Buffalo's 'deadliest storm' in 50 years has risen to 27

'Lowest of the low'

Commenting on the loot, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said, "People who are out looting when people are losing their lives in this harsh winter storm is just absolutely reprehensible. I don’t know how these people can even live with themselves, how they can look at themselves in the mirror. They are the lowest of the low."

He further added by saying, “From some of the pictures that we’ve seen on social media of these looters, they’re not looting foods and medicines. They’re just looting items that they want. So these aren’t people in distress — these are people that are taking advantage of a natural disaster and the suffering of many in our community to take what they want from retailers — also potentially putting (emergency response) services at risk in the communities where they are looting.”

Videos showed several storefronts with smashed-out windows, including a video posted on social media that appeared to show looters targeting a Family Dollar store where shelves were overturned and items were scattered across the ground, reports DailyMail.