Irredeemable Monsters Hold Up 5 Taco Trucks In A Week

Nothing is sacred in 2023 America. Case in point; South Los Angeles just experienced its fifth incident of violence at one of the city’s famous taco trucks in a week.

Richard Petty’s Pepper-and-Mayo Sandwich

Customers and owners have been targeted by a duo of gun-wielding robbers who threaten to shoot employees in order to get access to the till. The most recent robbery early Monday morning left one person with a non-life threatening gunshot wound and another person with a unspecified injury also requiring medical care, according to KTLA 5. Multiple gun shots were reported and police recovered several shell casing from the truck at West Manchester Avenue and St. Andrews Place.

Man pistol-whipped during violent taco truck robbery in Willowbrook area

On Friday, the thieves hit two stands in a row — one at the intersection of East 103rd Street and Compton Avenue. And last Monday a truck was held up at 103rd Street and Avalon Boulevard. Police told KTLA 5 they believe there is a gang targeting the trucks:

Police said at least five different taco stands have been robbed this week alone. They believe the robbers are part of a group of young Hispanic men in their teens and 20s specifically targeting taco vendors. Whether the previous robberies were committed by the same group remains under investigation.

“I think it’s very scary,” said Ronald Evans. “What if they come during my lunch hour? Like here I am at a taco truck trying to get some food.”

“These people [taco vendors] spend their hard-earned money and they risk their lives being out here and they’re trying to serve the community authentic food,” said resident Arturo Gonzalez.

“They need safety and protection,” said Jennifer Campos, who works nearby. “A lot of it has gotten out of hand. You see so many vendors everywhere, but that’s their way of making money. They have to buy things, they have to pay their rent and put on food on the table for their kids.”

Taco trucks and Los Angeles have gone together like rice and beans since Raul Martinez opened the first taco truck outside of an LA bar in 1974. The idea was so wildly popular, Martinez would go on to open a restaurant and then a franchise of restaurants, Taco King, to become a multimillionaire.

The humble taco truck provide low cost, delicious meals that are the products of hard work and the entrepreneurial spirit that supposedly built this country. So I have just one question for the robbers: At long last, have you no decency? Those people are doing the lord’s work of distributing the greatest food known to man in order to support their families and you’re gonna rush up on them like this? This is why we can’t have nice things.

Not only should these thieves be brought to justice, they should be expelled from California altogether.