Buffalo cops arrest 8 suspected looters during deadly ‘blizzard of the century’

Police in upstate New York have arrested eight alleged looters who ransacked shops during the unprecedented snowstorm over Christmas weekend.

The Buffalo Police Department announced Tuesday that its newly formed Anti-Looting Detail has busted suspects in connection with a series of brazen business break-ins.

The agency had not released any information about the arrested individuals as of Wednesday.

Many videos have emerged on social media showing heartless thieves ransacking stores and stripping shelves of merchandise during the winter storm — dubbed by Gov. Kathy Hochul “the blizzard of the century” — which has left at least 31 people dead in Erie County.

Additional footage released by the local police on Facebook displays the chaotic aftermath of the marauders’ actions, with piles of debris, toppled display cases and discarded packaging littering the aisles of local businesses.

“This isn’t people stealing food and medicine and diapers,” Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said Tuesday, according to reporting by WIVB. “They are destroying stores, they’re stealing televisions, couches, whatever they can get their hands on.”

In a press conference Monday, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown called the looters “the lowest of the low.”

“People who are out looting when people are losing their lives in this harsh winter storm is just absolutely reprehensible,” Brown said. “I don’t know how these people can even live with themselves, how they can look at themselves in the mirror.”

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You Tube/Buffalo Police

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One of the stores believed to have been targeted by the shameless bandits was Rick’s Sports Apparel. A Family Dollar store was also plundered Monday.

The historic blizzard dumped more than 4 feet of snow on Buffalo, trapping residents at home or in their cars in frigid temperatures. It also caused widespread air travel disruptions, leading to thousands of flight cancellations and delays.