Police: Suspects Organized 7-Eleven Flash Mob the ‘Old-Fashioned Way’

The use of social media may have been a key ingredient missing from the so-called 7-Eleven flash mob theft in Germantown.

“They did it the old fashioned way,” said Montgomery County Police spokesman Cpt. Paul Starks.

Investigators now believe that the suspects may have plotted the scheme while attending the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, moments before they allegedly snagged the last bus from Gaithersburg to Germantown on Saturday, Aug. 13.

Starks said police identified the incident as a “flash mob” because it seemed to have the characteristics of prior flash mob crimes — several people simultaneously showing up to a venue to perform some sort of act.

Surveillance footage appears to show several dozen young people entering the 7-Eleven at 13001 Wisteria Drive, taking snacks and leaving en masse.

The story quickly made national news, with Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger giving interviews on CNN and County Executive Isiah Leggett appearing on NPR, flagging the incident as a reason his proposed youth curfew legislation is needed.

But flash mobs are typically regarded as some sort of group action — like dancing or singing at a mall or public venue — coordinated via social media, such as Twitter. There was no clear evidence that social media was involved in the Germantown incident, Starks said.

Starks said Montgomery County Police have identified 16 of the 25 suspects on the video and plan to make arrests this week.

The trio of clips from the incident has accumulated more than 140,000 views since police posted the footage on its YouTube channel on Aug. 15.