San Francisco D.A. charges nine with felonies in $1-million theft wave of luxury stores [View all]

San Francisco Dist. Atty. Chesa Boudin said Tuesday that he has charged nine people with felonies in a series of shoplifting incidents that included a mass smash-and-grab at Union Square luxury stores.

At least 40 thieves allegedly broke into a Louis Vuitton store on Friday, grabbing whatever they could before loading it into a series of cars parked curbside out front. The shoplifting caravan cut a swath through San Francisco’s high-end boutiques, creating a scene of chaos while stealing more than $1 million in merchandise.

Boudin said two of the nine people were charged for possession of firearms during the Friday incident. He said the nine face charges of grand theft, commercial burglary and possession of stolen goods at the felony level.

“These are not petty thefts. These are not misdemeanor conduct. This is felony conduct,” Boudin said. “We are charging felonies today.”

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San Francisco Assistant Police Chief Mike Redmond, appearing with Boudin, announced that extra uniformed officers will be deployed to shopping areas and a traffic plan put in place “to keep cars out of the area if we see things ramp up downtown.”

Redmond said he expects many more arrests in the Union Square shoplifting incidents and indicated that the series of mob rip-offs around the Bay Area that began in San Francisco may be connected.

“We believe it is a lot of the same groups involved,” he said.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-11-23/san-francisco-da-charges-eight-of-union-square-smash-mob-with-felons-as-part-of-organized-burglary-group