PHILADELPHIA – A social media influencer who goes by the name “Meatball” (we’re not making it up) appeared to cheer on looters while livestreaming as they ransacked Philadelphia stores Tuesday night. Yet her glee turned to gloom when she was arrested and pictured with tears running down her face during a booking photo. She is facing six felonies and two misdemeanors.
“Meatball,” whose real name is Dayjia Blackwell, was arrested during her livestream of the ongoing criminal conduct committed by large groups of mostly teens mass looting, vandalizing and robbing multiple stores in the City of Brotherly Love, reported The Philadelphia Inquirer.
During her livestream, Blackwell called out the police and challenged them to arrest her.
“Tell the police they’re either gonna lock me up tonight, or it’s gonna get lit, it’s gonna be a movie,” she said, according to the New York Post.
Following her arrest, Blackwell, 21, was charged with six felonies and two misdemeanors, which include the following crimes:
- Burglary
- Criminal trespassing
- Conspiracy
- Criminal mischief
- Riot with the intent to commit a felony
- Criminal use of a communication facility
- Receiving stolen property
- Hazardous conditions/physically offensive
Blackwell was pictured shedding tears in her booking photo, the Daily Wire reported. She posted $25,000 bail and was released Thursday morning.
The looting in Philadelphia came hours after charges against former Philadelphia Police Officer Mark Dial were dropped.
District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office charged Dial with murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and official oppression after he was involved in the fatal shooting of a man who was armed with a knife on Aug. 14. Dial was later arrested Sept. 8.
However, on Tuesday, Philadelphia Municipal Judge Wendy Pew ruled there was insufficient evidence to proceed to trial and dismissed all charges against Dial, Law Officer reported.
“This is what happens when we don’t get justice in this city,” Blackwell spewed Tuesday evening as dozens of thieves robbed a liquor store.
During the melee, the social media influencer repeatedly shouted, “Everybody must eat!”
However, even she exposed her own hypocrisy by proclaiming, “Free iPhones! Free iPhones.”
Philadelphia continues to be in absolute chaos. pic.twitter.com/hgMphlu8c9
— Catch Up (@CatchUpFeed) September 27, 2023
“Meatball” has nearly 190,000 followers on Instagram, over 465,000 followers on TikTok, and has an OnlyFans account. She was taken taken into custody after police reportedly tracked her on social media to seven different locations in the city Tuesday night, the Daily Wire reported.
“We were able to link some things on social media,” Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said at a news conference, according to the Inquirer. “We had a group that was making their way through the city. Quite naturally, you have followers who are going to see this and start to come out, and think they have an opportunity to get something.”
Stanford tried to distance the rioting that eventually erupted from the protests that took place earlier in the day, referring to the looters as “criminal opportunists.”
“This had nothing to do with the protests. What we had tonight was a bunch of criminal opportunists,” Stanford said. “These were not protesters, these were criminals.”
Blackwell wrote in an Instagram post to her followers, “What we doing tonight behind this injustice tap in?”
Additional video footage of the crimes showed a large police contingent outside of a Lulumelon as numerous people ran out of the store carrying stolen clothing. The footage also shows police detaining at least four looters on the ground outside of the store.
In total, police said more than 100 juveniles and young adults were involved in the looting.
🚨#BREAKING: Large Crowds of people have started Riot and Loot multiple stores as Citywide Rapid Response has been Activated
📌#Philadelphia | #PA
Philadelphia Police have activated a citywide rapid response following large crowds of people gathering and rioting, and engaging… pic.twitter.com/ronKIax9rO
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) September 27, 2023
Meanwhile, the crime spree by the masses was not restricted to Tuesday night. They continued Wednesday evening as well, Fox News reported.
Beginning at about 8 p.m., groups of thieves, apparently working together, destroyed property in several geographical areas of the city, smashed their way into stores, and stole as much as they could carry before fleeing, authorities said. Suspects also ransacked more than a dozen state-run liquor stores so thoroughly that the state announced it was closing its Philadelphia locations until further notice.
At least 52 suspects were arrested, including 49 adults and three juveniles, according to the Philadelphia Police Department. The criminal defendants face a multitude of charges, including burglary, theft and other related offenses, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
