It seems like organized theft rings. The post says nearly every other business on that street was robbed in the last 2 days.

I think most businesses in DC have been robbed at least once in the last year. Property crime isn't really a priority for judges/prosecutors here, I'm sure most of the charges get thrown out or reduced to something menial, if the criminals even get caught.

Which is why this particular criminal was pretty dumb. Assaulting people will get you a bit more heat.