Boy, 13, is accused of ramming car that plowed through front doors of California bakery allowing at least 100 people to ransack the store

A 13-year-old boy has been arrested for ramming a stolen car through a California bakery, allowing at least 100 people to ransack the store, police say.

The boy, who remains unidentified due to his age, is accused of driving a white Kia Soul and breaking into Ruben's Bakery & Mexican Food in Compton on January 2.

He is one of five individuals arrested in connection to the looting at the family-owned, longstanding bakery, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

Video footage captures the boy driving the white Kia, identified later by the police as a stolen car, backing up and repeatedly ramming into the store until it broke, enabling at least 100 looters to enter and leave the shop in shambles. 

'Once the gate was breached, numerous individuals were observed on camera entering and burglarizing the business,' Luna said on Tuesday.

A 13-year-old boy has been arrested for allegedly ramming a stolen car through a California bakery, allowing at least 100 people to ransack the store

Video footage captures the boy driving the white Kia, identified later by the police as a stolen car, backing up and repeatedly ramming into the store until it broke, enabling at least 100 looters to enter 

The mob caused approximately $40,000 worth of damage and lost property before fleeing on foot or in a vehicle

The mob caused approximately $40,000 worth of damage and lost property before fleeing on foot or in a vehicle, authorities said. 

When police arrived, they discovered a trash bin on fire in the middle of the intersection.

The 13-year-old has been charged with burglary, felony vandalism, driving a vehicle without the owner's consent and inciting a riot, according to Sheriff Luna.

The remaining four suspects face charges of burglary and possession of stolen property in connection with the bakery theft.

Luna said: 'The teamwork, collaboration and professionalism of everyone involved led to the identification and the safe arrests of these suspects.' 

The juvenile driver was charged on January 12 and released to family with a pending court date, the sheriff added. 

Hours after he was released, he was seen on security video with three other suspects breaking into a 7-Eleven store in Carson and attempting to rob it, police said. 

The robbery was halted by a sheriff who happened to walk into the convenience store, quickly pulling out his service weapon and calling for backup. 

 'When I stopped by, I saw a vehicle that was already parked there and it felt kind of strange,' Deputy Luis Cisneros told KTLA. 

'I tried looking inside the windows, but I couldn't see much because of the advertisements. Once I opened the door, that's when I knew there was an armed robbery in progress.'

'The juvenile was arrested later that same day for additional robberies in Carson and Compton and is currently being held at juvenile hall,' Luna said.

Hours after he was released, he was seen on security video with three other suspects breaking into a 7-Eleven store in Carson and attempting to rob it, police said

Kia cars have become prime targets for thieves after the manufacturer ceased to install 'immobilizers' in their vehicles from 2011 to 2022. 

A TikTok car theft challenge, showing a step-by-step guide on how to steal certain Kia and Hyundai models, has only fueled the fire. 

In Chicago, thefts of the two car brands rose by a shocking 767 percent in July 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. 

The challenge, which users posted to the social video site under #KiaBoyz, shows impressionable viewers that using the tip of a phone charger or USB cable can start a Hyundai or a Kia. 

Although the original video has been removed, copycats have emerged to the point that TikTok has asked users to report any copies that have been made. 

The crime-ridden Oakland saw 15,000 car thefts last year, meaning one in thirty residents had their car stolen. 

However, less than 5 percent of those auto theft cases lead to an actual arrest as the California city led by outspoken progressive mayor Sheng Tao and District Attorney Pamela Price. 

In Tuesday's announcement of the arrest, Luna expressed pledged to continue investigating potential connections between recent burglaries in the area

Reuben Ramirez Jr., who runs the bakery after his father opened decades ago, was frustrated to see the recent lootings

The longstanding Ruben's Bakery & Mexican Food, which sits near the intersection of El Segundo Boulevard and Santa Fe Avenue - reportedly an especially popular place for street takeovers to occur 

In Tuesday's announcement of the arrest, Luna pledged to continue investigating potential connections between recent burglaries in the area.  

'When people saw the crime that occurred at this bakery, probably like the way I felt personally, I was offended,' Luna said. 

'Personally, I was offended to see that all these individuals broke into this business. When we say a business, we're talking about a family who has owned this business for many years.'

'To watch a bunch of individuals who have no regard other people's property or hard work and did what you saw on video.'

'Our goal is to arrest every single of individuals that was out there. You participate in this kind of activity, and you think you may have gotten away with it? We are going after you,' he said. 

Reuben Ramirez Jr., who runs the bakery after his father opened decades ago, was frustrated to see the recent lootings. 

'We just felt frustrated, we felt that maybe it's a sign that we needed to close our business because of everything that's going on, but here we are we reopened and are getting through this,' Ramirez Jr. told CBS. 

'We're not going anywhere, we're here for the community 48 years, and we'll be here another 48 years.'