7-Eleven had to advise its Los Angeles-area outlets to close on the same day as its yearly July 11 promotion due to a concern of criminals.
A staffer and a client were killed in a series of crimes, including armed robberies that occurred early on Monday at many of the chain’s outlets in Southern California.
The two fatalities, along with robberies at other 7-Eleven locations in the Los Angeles area that morning, prompted the company’s corporate officials to order their franchises to close their doors in that city.
Numerous 7-Eleven locations near the impacted areas felt the need to close their doors as directed by the 7-Eleven corporation in order to stop further tragedies. They advised stores in the Greater Los Angeles area to exercise caution during the riskiest times of operation, which are often when robberies take place. Several locations of the stores located on Laurel Canyon Boulevard in North Hollywood and on Oxnard Street in Van Nuys were both closed until early morning.
7-Eleven said in a statement:
“Our hearts are with the victims and their loved ones. We are gathering information on this terrible tragedy and working with local law enforcement. Right now, our focus is on Franchisee, associate and customer safety. With that in mind, we encouraged stores in the Los Angeles area to close overnight.”
The same individual is suspected of carrying out at least three of the robberies, including the two that involved killings at 7-Eleven locations in Brea and Santa Ana.
Uncertainty exists as to whether the unrest was associated with the chain’s National 7/11 Day promotion, which began at midnight on Monday and gave patrons a free Slurpee. Authorities are still working to determine if the same man, who has been shown on surveillance video in one store, struck at each location, though they are working with certainty and taking a deep look into the possibility that the six incidents are connected.
The bloody evening serves as a reminder of the city’s elevated murder rate. As of June 18, 2022, murder rates were up 35 percent from 2020 and up 5.5 percent from the year before.
Watch it here: Youtube/ Fox 11 Los Angeles
Sources: Dailycaller, Ktla, CNN
