“We’ve Already Arrested A Handful Of Looters”: Crime Spree Emerges In Houston In The Wake Of Hurricane Harvey

by | Aug 28, 2017 | Headline News | 68 comments

houston-looters

The tragedy of the storm that struck Texas over the weekend has been punctuated by countless stories of heroism and selflessness. Both private citizens and public servants are working around the clock to make sure that the victims of Hurricane Harvey are safe and secure. But as with every disaster, there is always some element of society that will take advantage of the chaos. We’re beginning to see that now in Houston, where the first reports of lootings are starting to emerge.

At the moment the police are spread thin across the city, and have been too busy with relief efforts to properly address the problem.

The Houston police dispatched officers on boats that were sent through streets where the floodwater reached the pumps at gas stations, and officials said they had conducted waves of rescue operations. While urging residents to stay off the roads, police have asked people with high-water vehicles and boats to assist in rescue efforts.

In Houston, the fire department responded to more 4,000 water-related calls for service. Police rescued 2,000 people in the city, and another 185 critical rescue requests were still pending, Art Acevedo, the Houston police chief, said at a news briefing Monday.

Still, they’ve managed to arrest four of the looters so far.

‘We’ve already arrested a handful of looters. We’ve made it real clear to our community we’re going to do whatever it takes to protect their homes and their businesses,’ Acevedo told ABC News. ‘And when people come from the outside to Houston, Texas, know we’re going to be out in the city, we’re not going to rest as a police department or law enforcement community until people restore their lives.’

Given the small number of looters who have been arrested, it’s safe to say that what’s happening in Houston stands in stark contrast to what happened after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. New Orleans devolved into anarchy during that disaster, and thefts became so common that the police were told that they could shoot looters.

Still, it took a couple of days before the lootings really kicked off in New Orleans. Depending on how quickly order is restored in Houston, and how quickly the authorities deliver aid to the victims of Hurricane Harvey, what we’re seeing now could either be just the beginning, or the end of a storm induced crime spree.

Related:

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    68 Comments

    1. Padoo

      I guess “Thou shalt not steal” is not in their vocabulary. Meanwhile if somebody robbed them, the outcry would deafen your ears.

      • Kevin2

        They’ll be lucky to make it home with the TVs because their “homies” will steal it from them.

        • Kevin2

          Ever throw down bread to blackbirds? Notice that they’ll take it right out of anothers beak? We have white cranes that in methodical fashion canvass lawns for insects. Their quiet and they fan out covering an area then they move on. No theft until the blackbirds come in. First the blackbirds are chaotic, disorganized loud, lots of posturing flapping wings in what appears to be efforts at intimidation. They steal from the white cranes and break up their search pattern. Taking the easy pickings they leave, the cranes resume their organized foraging for food.

          • CrackSummSkulls

            Dats so Raycist Kev.. Ever see a black bear digging in a garbage can? They learned dat by watching the urban hoodrat pickers show.

            • Kevin2

              That is a personal observation.

          • Archivist

            I know someone who calls blackbirds “welfare birds.”

            If you put out some bread, one of them will walk up to it, snatch it up, and take off just like he’s stealing it.

            • Kevin2

              Pigeon’s are largely civil to each other as I have seen. Not as civil as these cranes.

          • Justice

            Kevin2, one can learn a lot from watching nature. LOL

            • PO'd Patriot

              Yes one can. Ever watch crows fly? They couldn’t fly in a straight line if their life depended on it. Plus they’re very loud/raucous and black. You have five or six flying together their noise is irritating.

              • PO'd Patriot

                BTW, I hope those who have firearms had the presence of mind to place them high,(thinking attic) and cover them with some batten insulation before they skeedaddled in a boat.

              • The Deplorable Braveheart

                PO’d Patriot, at the BOL we’ve been shooting crows lately. A .22LR will bring down a crow if you’re a good shot.

                • rellik

                  DB
                  You hear the crack of the rifle.
                  You hear a “thunk” when it hits the bird.
                  You hear a “thud” when the bird hits the ground.
                  Been there, done that.
                  Lots of fun!

                  • The Deplorable Braveheart

                    Rellik, tell me about it, LOL! Been doing that the last couple of days. If it’s in shotgun range, birdshot is devastating on them.

          • the blame-e

            Funny, the eagle, our national symbol, is the same way — a poacher and a carrion eater.

          • Padoo

            That’s because there aren’t any televisions involved 😉

      • Anonymous

        “I guess “Thou shalt not steal” is not in their vocabulary. ”

        People, all of us as evidenced by posts here and other “alt-right” sites, pick and choose what they will believe the commands mean and whether or not they should apply to themselves as well as others.

        But God has a different attitude about that.

      • BigB

        “Always some element” No, it’s the same element time after time.

        BigB

      • Tw15t1d

        Vocabulary…. HA!

    2. Ron Ahrens

      Coming for the guns next, going to be an informative and reveaking BETA Test for the psychopaths taking guns in Texas!!!!

      • Kevin2

        Actually if Texas can learn something from the Rodney King riots in LA its to guard the gun stores. No power = no alarms.

      • The Deplorable Braveheart

        Ron, there will be DEAD psychopaths everywhere.

    3. calikid

      why is it always monkeys doing the looting???? no redeeming value with gorillas WTF?????

    4. Roger

      How many were relocated to Houston after looting NOLA during Katrina? Now that they are looting Houston, will they be relocated back to NOLA to repeat the cycle?

    5. Archivist

      We’re expected to have around 4 or 5 inches of rain from #10 tonight and tomorrow. That won’t be bad. We had over 3 inches from one thunderstorm a few days ago. The usual places flood, and then it all runs to the rivers.

      I went to the grocery store this evening, and the milk and bread were a little low, but nothing was sold out.

      I’ll just stay home tomorrow and watch the rain. If the wind isn’t blowing too hard, I might sit on the porch in the breeze and watch the world go by.

      • Justice

        “I might sit on the porch in the breeze and watch the world go by,” sound like a good plan!

    6. aljamo

      He picked up the tv that he dropped on the sidewalk, yeah that’ll still work. Idiocy at the peak of stupidity. Probably a burned out shelf demo. Hey, you forget the boxed models. Duh, I gots mines free tv.

      • PO'd Patriot

        Hell I thought they just needed them to keep the rain off.

    7. lena

      And have you noticed who is helping out anyone needing help with their boats ? rednecks from Texas and Louisianna or in other words bigoted, racist Trump voters !

      I hope someone with a national voice makes that point. Sorry, all you loser news media people, Trump voters want to help and make life better for everyone, not just whitey !

      • Orion

        Have a buddy running his 5 ton M939a2 for high water rescues and another with an airboat and another couple buds with jet skis…

        Scoop em up then set em down on terra firma… No questions asked, no payment needed, no racial profiling… Human helping human.

        We take care of our own down here in Texas… Unlike the rest of the uncivilized union in which we reside…

      • the blame-e

        Yes. Damn all those rednecks, those “deplorables” and “despicables.” Yes. Damn all those Islamaphobes, xenophobes, racists, sexists, bigots, white nationalists, and fascists. Yes. Damn all those white men. Yes. Damn all those mother rapers and father rapers. Yes. Damn all those Trump voters.

        • The Deplorable Braveheart

          Blame-e, damn right. We’re the ones who care about this country. What about you?

    8. Asshat

      Cops shooting people with stolen merchandise is a little heavy handed don’t you think. Now trump lifted a ban on cops getting military weapons so you know the police state hell on earth is coming for guns. Was always told Texans wouldn’t give em up. They will when the gestapo police busts their door down and a team rushes in with guns at their head and it will happen so quick they will piss themselves. This isn’t a joke people the police are out of control. To think cops shooting a guy with a stolen waterlogged tv is acceptable is deranged. Who polices the police. An unregulated beurocracy allowed to used force against citizens in the interest of corporations is the biggest threat to us all. anyone who thinks police are on their side needs their head examined. Wake up.

      • Greg

        Seems heavy-handed. But it’s not just a TV, it’s a mentality. They will keep doing it unless there is a heavy-handed response. A lawless situation will spiral out of control and it won’t stop with stolen TVs. If it becomes a serial problem it will need to be dealt with to show law and order still prevails. I wouldn’t want to be around there with no cameras or alarms, even with a lap-full of guns. Crazy people out there y’all, stay safe.

    9. This Texan Has Had Enough

      Shoot looters on sight. Rinse and repeat. Word will get around.

      • Sgt. Dale

        TTHHE
        You wrote just what I was thinking.

        When they are looting shot them all, and let God sort it out. The only good looter is a DEAD looter!!!!

        Sgt.

        • PO'd Patriot

          Leave ’em for the critters and fire ants.

        • The Deplorable Braveheart

          Texan and Sarge, same with me.

      • Yohan Smythe III

        Exactly what I was thinking also, and was going to post.

    10. So What!

      Hey, those guys with the TV’s were just replacing their TV’s that were damaged in the floods. Or, they just needed to cover their heads to protect them from the rain. Arrests? Whatever happened to “Looters will be shot!”?

    11. Asshat

      If you notice the white guys are helping rescue people and the groids are stealing shit. There are very few blacks that help the community. The fake news said someone price gouged a loaf of bread for $14.99. If they were prepared they wouldn’t have to pay the higher price. What do you think a box of ammo would be worth in civil war. $500 let this be a lesson to get what you need now while its available and cheap. Lesson number 2 have another location somewhere with supplies or your gonna be on a Red Cross cot till the gov can figure out what to do with you. You will be at their mercy and certainly disarmed. This is unacceptable. But if you wanna worry about your bitcoin I understand if you find that more important for me I’d rather live in a hunting shack somewhere away from crowds of unarmed victims dependent on agency’s to meet their needs with no clue when they will get back to normal living.

    12. Neal Jensen

      Arrested the looters…what a massive fail. They should be feeding Gators with their rotten corpses…

    13. Tex

      Katy, TX has had 59″ of rain so far. Started Friday afternoon and it is still raining.

    14. Plan twice, prep once

      They had some nice footage of teenagers looting a store. Power was out but apparently the security system had battery backup and was sending the images to the cloud.

      Most of America is getting kids ready for the new school year, in Houston those new cloths and school supplies are floating down the street, past the flooded out schools that likely won’t open for months.

      Almost everyone’s car/truck is ruined. I’d be interested, have any preppers had cars swamped in a flood? What did it take to get them running again? What are the long term prospects for flood damaged cars?

      Saddest video I saw was people in an oldfolks home just sitting in waste deep water in their wheelchairs waiting for someone to help them.

      • Justice

        Plan twice, prep once, I already know what will do me in during a SHTF event, because no good deed goes unpunished. If I saw those old people I would have to help REGARDLESS of the consequences. I will try to help the weak and pay the ultimate price. But I guess that’s as good a way to go out as any!

        I am not naive or weak but my heart is not hard enough. This will most likely cost me. It will be difficult to navigate what’s coming and remain a “good person”.

        • Plan twice, prep once

          The elderly in Nursing Homes are so screwed in a disaster like this. Unless the drug cabinet is waterproof, all meds on site are likely ruined. Medical records are all computerized, meaning they are all inaccessible, including prescriptions, making the drugs irreplaceable, even if they are on the shelf of a nearby high and dry drugstore. Many of the drugs have deadly side effects in the elderly, if stopped cold turkey vs a taper off. Electrical equipment like O2 generators etc all fail when the batteries run out. Many of the eldercare workers left to save family members including children, is there even a choice between saving your own kids vs the old folks? The few that remain are completely overwhelmed. Others just can’t get through the flooding to work.

    15. Anonymous

      I’ve run across several articles about that huge Lakewood mega church being shuttered. It could have housed and fed many fleeing the storm. Bet that multi-millionaire Osteen is out in a rowboat looking for survivors. Where’s Osteen?

    16. B from CA

      I detest a thief as much as I despise a liar. But shooting looters is extreme. Rapist, yes! I hate those types, and porno makers I put right up there with rapists. I would execute them!

      Looters I have another treat for them, hard labor. I would put them to work cleaning up the mess of the hurricane. The chain gang with the word “THIEF” across their backs. To get out of prison they would have to be filmed making an apology. “My name is such-in-such, I am a scumbag thief. I am sorry, and I won’t do it again, because if I do, I’ll get 5 years hard labor instead of the 1 year I just completed.”

      _

      • Yohan Smythe III

        You almost had me there. But then I sat and thought for a few minutes, and have to say I have to go with my original thinking on it –

        Shoot them. HIGHLY publicize it (with video, if possible).

        The punishments must be HIGHER, in everything. How many people would run a red light if the punishment was 1 year hard labor, instead of paying a $100 fine?

        The looters’ thinking is they will get a slap on the wrist ‘if caught’, or “1 year hard labor” – they will take their chances. Someone has to catch them, and if confronted, drop it and run. If they know someone will shoot them from across the street and end them, they will not do it.

        • Justice

          Yohan Smythe III, deterrence is an important consideration in the Law.

        • Kevin2

          Yohan Smythe III

          If you want to live in a society with draconian punishment move to Saudi Arabia; your love it there. Look up the word FREEDOM before you immigrate because after your there such language is likely banned.

          GTFOOH

      • DMONIC

        Shoot “porno makers”, which have done NO crime as opposed to looters, who are stealing from hard working Americans that needed to evacuate? Pull your head out of your ass already….

      • The Deplorable Braveheart

        B, it’s better to shoot a looter. Only way to stop them.

    17. Angel

      Wanted to comment that SHTF has arrived in my town. I live 2 hours north of Houston. Grocery stores are emptying out as of today in anticipation of Harvey reaching my area. A lot of people south are also evacuating to my town. I wanted to show you pics I took today. Maybe some can tell me how to share them here? It’s crazy seeing shelves in the stores empty. We have gotten 10 inches so far with another 12 to 15 forecast for my area. Did HICKS evacuate?Thank God we are prepared. Stay safe my friends.

    18. Angel

      Justice
      Great comment. Don’t ever change. It is my nature to help too. Will probably be my undoing as well but that’s OK They don’t make em like us anymore..

    19. Logicrazy

      I am good, better than many in the area. Since the hurricane made landfall I have been working. I work for a local phone company. I have been as far South as Victoria on Sunday. Mainly working Katy and Brookshire today. Just trying to keep communication going. It is bad, and will get worse as creeks and rivers are full now and backing up into the area. I have everything I need, and have helped others by kayak. If it were not for my preps it would be hard going. Yet I was prepared, so my time has been spent helping others. Gotta crash now, another long day tomorrow. Work and helping has worn me out.

      If I see a loiter, they are subject to being shot. I don’t have time for that..

    20. the blame-e

      “Loot: [to] steal goods from (a place), typically during a war or riot.”

      The parasitic elites loot plenty, but it’s legal for them. They keep this country engaged in endless war just so they can loot Social Security, 401Ks, the old-age nest eggs, the “underfunded” pensions, the living and the dead with taxes.

      The country is kept on a constant war footing just in case something comes up that the professional politicians, the corporate oligarchs, and MSM missed. Just in case they need to snatch it up right away.

      Where do you think the other 99-percent learned how?

    21. Captn.Jack

      Just watched a video made by one of the Cajun Navy.He said the looters were shooting at them and they even tried to steal one of their disabled boats.Nice people those looters.I go along with you guys,shoot on sight.I live on the FL.Gulf Coast and went through Ivan,if a looter had ever came on my property he would of got a 44mag.piece of lead for his effort.That still stands for the future.

    22. GamerGal

      Thats sad. You bet they will be out of a job after things pick up. I wish lightning struck feet from them. They’d rub for their dear life, seeing how their thieves. I’m sure lightning won’t be enough to stop them

    23. Ron Ahrens

      HOUSTON, let me see….Houston harbors and supports a charlatan Luciferian One World Religion Globalist pacifying demonic monster named Joel Osteen who has been outed in this Hurricane, Houston is home to the Johnson Space Center and Astronaut boot licker training which is controlled by the Luciferian psychopaths responsible for putting up our GPS CAGE of complete and total enslavement, Houston is home to the psychopaths destroying our earth, water, air, and murdering our youth in wars for nothing but OIL, OIL, OIL, OIL, Houston is also the cesspool where the Luciferian Demonic Bush Family of psychopaths love to slither around, Houston has non-stop drunken hedonistic debauchery going on like all other cesspool New Babylonian American cities, Houston has violent and Luciferian controlled drunken bum “bread and circuses” sporting events all over the city, Houston has abortion death mills on every corner, Houston manufactures WMD’s for the Luciferian controlled Military Industrial Complex, and do not forget line dancing started in Houston………so with all this and much, much, much more Satanic evil going on in that Sodom and Gomorrah on crack called Houston, it is easy to see why the Creator started off there with the destruction of damned and doomed collapsing Police State hell on earth New Babylon America!!!!!

    24. rellik

      Note the looters.
      13% of our population is junk.
      I’m tired of having my country
      junked by them.
      We need to eliminate all Democrats.

    25. Houston/Cypress/Katy/Shtf

      UNPREPPER IDIOTS BUSING UP ENTIRE CITY FIRING ON WHITE MEN IN BOATS RESCUING UNPREPPED IDIOTS.

      My area is on higher ground, not flooded, just the streets, the water is still on, and no food is in any of the grocery stores. The freeways will not be open anytime soon, water supply has been cut off from certain areas of the city because of contamination. Looters according to Alex Jones are shooting at Americans who are rescuing people from homes. My neighborhood is a lot of mixed nationals with only 25% patriots. So the fire power force multiplier is still above average. But I am literally in the middle of and SHTF event. The grid is still up. None of the freeways will be ready for at least another month, so the food supply will be cut off from the city for another month. I am hoping that the un prepped idiots will be able to have to enough food to last for another month, I would hate to have to kill anyone in my subdivisions if they run out of food and water. I am law abiding citizen and if I get pushed I will USE LETHAL FORCE to defend my self.

      HCKS,.

      .223/5.56

      • Wake-up-people

        HCKS: Keep them guns loaded boy, you hear? Don’t give any son of a bitch any 2nd chances – they will haunt you for sure.

      • The Deplorable Braveheart

        HCKS, glad to hear you’re OK. Don’t let anyone take anything you have under any circumstances.

      • Angel

        HCKS
        So glad you are ok. I asked about you the other day. I am also in Texas 2 hours north of you. I watched people begging for help with water coming into their homes last night on my local news and fb. It is so dangerous there that they were not rescuing people last night in Port Arthur. They waited until morning because of the risk of looters attacking Cajun Navy and police. We have water all around us but not in house yet thank God. You are in a real SHTF situation HCKS. I expect SHTF to get much worse in Southeast Texas
        We are prepared. I’d hate to have to kill looters too but am ready to do so to protect my family. I live in a small town and when the criminals empty out of the cities I’m sure they’ll be headed this way. Good luck to you HCKS stay frosty my friend

    26. Mike in Maine

      Heard that gasoline prices are expected to increase considerably in the upcoming days/weeks. Prepare to pay more, all across the nation, not just Texas.

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