Burglars use stolen government vehicle to ram Bellflower storefront

A group of burglars were caught on camera as they used a stolen government car to ram the entrance of a Bellflower business early Sunday morning. 

Surveillance video footage shows a mob of people flooding Hype Kingdom, located in the 17200 block of Lakewood Boulevard, after a grey sedan repeatedly reverses into the front of the shoe store until glass and security bars give way. 

The group of people, most of which are seen wearing hoodies and masks on their faces, can be seen ransacking the store, running around the car sitting in their midst. Afterwards, they can be seen running on foot with overflowing bags in their arms. 

Since the incident, which happened at around 4:45 a.m., employees have been working to clean up the mess left behind by the burglars, who made off with stolen merchandise and clothing. 

DJ, who owns Hype Kingdom, says that they took at least $100,000 worth of product. 

"They took a bunch of high-end streetwear, clothes, accessories, sneakers, figurines," DJ said. "Just everything that we sell basically."

He says that he was already trying to bolster the store's security prior to Sunday's incident, building a barrier of extra protection behind the storefront's glass. Now, DJ says he's ready to find a new location. 

"I think it's best we find a more secure location in general, because it's a big liability at this point to have any high-end sneaker store or high-end anything in any outdoor shopping center."

In the meantime, he says that despite the temporary setback, his plans haven't changed much. 

"We're just going to bounce back," DJ said. "I mean, the acronym for Hype is 'Help Your People Elevate.' So, we are going to still do that."

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detectives have launched an investigation into the matter. Once they have completed their preliminary investigation, the case will be handed over to the department's Retail Theft Task Force.