Bogus Corona ‘loot-out’ warning spurred swarm of cops and exposed divide among pols

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A sign outside a Corona business after three local elected officials warned of a possible “loot-out” that never occurred. Photo by Kat Ramus

A sign outside a Corona business after three local elected officials warned of a possible “loot-out” that never occurred. Photo by Kat Ramus

By David Brand

Three Corona lawmakers say they regret warning constituents about a bogus “loot-out” that spurred a swarm of cops to the majority immigrant community and exposed divisions among the leaders. 

Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, State Sen. Jessica Ramos and Councilmember Francisco Moya circulated an “emergency joint statement” on June 4 cautioning residents of Corona and Jackson Heights that would-be thieves were planning a coordinated robbery spree in the area for the next day.

In the end, the “possible loot-out” never happened. But the warning, from three leaders who have sharply criticized over-policing and the NYPD’s recent crackdown on civil unrest, triggered a surge of cops to Corona.

“We should have responded differently,” Cruz wrote in an open letter published by the Eagle. “In hindsight, this wasn’t communicated properly and for that I regret any confusion, fear, and pain this may have caused folks.”

Cruz drafted the statement based on flimsy information — a Snapchat post calling for a 5 p.m. break-in at a Corona Gamestop the next day. She said police had seen the same message, which came amid a handful of looting incidents in the Bronx and Manhattan and three days after a group of young people tried to break into the Queens Center Mall.

Ramos and Moya said they should not have added their names to the warning without vetting the threat themselves. 

“I apologize wholeheartedly for causing any confusion or unrest in an already difficult time,” Ramos said in a statement. “It was never my intention to invite more police into our neighborhood.”

Ramos also publicly aired her anger with Cruz for asking her colleagues to sign the statement without much information about the source of the threat.

“Next time don’t lie to my staff about calling the cops,” Ramos tweeted at Cruz on June 10.

Cruz said the cops verified the “loot-out” social media post. The local 115th precinct directed questions to the NYPD’s citywide communications department.

Like Ramos, Moya said he “didn’t have all the details of the rumors” but had trusted Cruz to substantiate the threat.

“I was reassured by one of my colleagues that the rumors were legitimate,” he said. “Ultimately, I signed on for two reasons: First, a duty to inform my constituents of a potential threat, and second, in solidarity with my colleagues representing our area.”

Moya — long at odds with Cruz — said Wednesday that he could no longer trust her.  

“I regret signing on to this statement, the results that came from it — both the panic among residents and the police response — and for taking my colleague at face value. It won’t happen again,” Moya said. 

Cruz declined to respond to Moya’s statement. “Everything I needed to say to the community, our actions and how we wanted to move forward was included in the letter,” she said. 

The loot-out warning had a significant impact on Corona, according to local residents, workers and activists who spoke with the Eagle. 

Multiple people shared photos of boarded-up businesses with printed signs identifying the shops as “minority-owned” and “mom and pop shop.”

“Please don’t damage this business, this business is owned by Minorities,” read one sign printed on computer paper. 

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The manager at Seba Seba, a restaurant on Junction Boulevard, said she was scared for the business and for her neighbors when she heard about the possible “loot-out” last week.

“Miedo,” she said by phone. “Fear.” 

“Fear of the robbers, of the bad people,” she added in Spanish.

Others said they feared a number of police coming to the majority immigrant community after cops had cracked down on demonstrators and some looters elsewhere in the city amid protests against police violence. NYPD officers also worked with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to make arrests and set up barricades over the past two weeks.

Queens Neighborhoods United Director Tania Mattos said the organization encourages elected officials to reflect on the incident and its impact.

“It is up to each elected official to follow the following steps: Self-reflect, Apologize, Repair and Change Behavior,” Mattos said, citing the Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective. 

“We hope to see all electeds but especially those who have a history of siding with police to follow through on their promise to defund the NYPD and work with the community to come up with alternatives policing and not criminalizing based on suspicion,” Mattos added.