FOG BLOG U.S. LOG: MULTIPLE STORES HIT BY SMASH N GRAB LOOTERS IN PHILADELPHIA LAST NIGHT!

All liquor stores closed in Philadelphia after multiple stores were looted overnight All liquor stores in Philadelphia were closed Wednesday after several locations were looted shortly following the conclusion of peaceful protests against a judge’s decision to dismiss all charges against a former Philadelphia police officer in a fatal traffic stop shooting.

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board closed 49 retail wine and liquor stores – 48 in Philadelphia – after 18 stores were looted overnight, Shawn Kelly, press secretary for the board, told CNN.

Although no employees were injured, “some were understandably shaken” by the incidents, Kelly said.

“Today, all FW&GS (Fine Wine & Good Spirits) stores in Philadelphia and one in Cheltenham Plaza, Wyncote, Montgomery County, are closed in the interest of employee safety and while we assess the damage and loss that occurred,” Kelly said in a statement. “We will reopen stores when it is safe to do so and when the damage is repaired. It is too early to tell how much was damaged or destroyed.”

The board is one of the largest purchasers of beverage alcohol in the United States, according to its website.

Police will increase resources on Wednesday night, a spokesperson told CNN, without providing details.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 52 people have been arrested, including three juveniles, after stores throughout Philadelphia’s Center City district and the liquor stores were looted Tuesday night, said Jane Roh, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia district attorney’s office.

The looting happened after peaceful protests ended following a judge’s decision to dismiss all charges against a former Philadelphia police officer, Mark Dial, in the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry on August 14, authorities said.

The city’s interim police commissioner said he believes the looters were “opportunists” that were not directly connected to the protests.