You probably have heard the term “flash mob” where a large group of people randomly gather together at a certain place and time within a short period of time and quickly disburse. The group usually have the goal to deliver a specific message or just merely to act out pointless acts, most the time people perceive flash mob gathering as a special expression of art and creativity.
How about “flash rob”? A flash rob is very similar to a flash mob, however, the members steal.
In this ABC News video, the surveillance camera captured the moment when a large group of people rushed into the convenient store at once, started to steal, then ran out of the store within a few minutes with a few hundred dollars worth of store items. Stealing in a form of a group gives the group members confidence and some level of security to commit the crime. The flash mob attitude can easily lower the seriousness of the crime scene and put the store workers off the guard when they encounter such bizarre event. Moreover, due to the large group size and the short duration of the robbery, it has been difficult for the police to arrive before the mob disappears. Often time only a few flash rob members get arrested while the rest of the group flee.
The flash rob can be interpreted as a fun and creative group activity rather than a serious crime act. However, it is dangerous with the effect of being with
such large group size, people easily get excited and make irrational decisions. This shows the power of people gathering to do something together.
More resources if you are interested:
1) Oregon Flash Rob Teens Hit Grocery Store by ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/06/oregon-flash-rob-teens-hit-grocery-store/
2) Flash Mob Art Causes a Scene
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-14798060
