A witness took video of at least three masked burglars stealing products from a rack at a Walgreens in the San Francisco area before fleeing the store.
The 41-second video has become popular on the internet. It has received over 1.6 million views on different social media networks. The video starts with a lady in a pink jacket taking goods off a rack and placing them in a bag. Another lady nearby is likewise reaching for products on the rack. The two ladies then proceed to different areas of the store to obtain other products.
The camera moves to see a kid in a stroller at 10 seconds in. As onlookers look on, the criminals proceed to boldly steal products from racks. The two ladies flee the store, carrying enormous bags loaded with stolen items. Behind them, a man in a yellow sweatshirt exits the store.
The incident occurred in early April at a Walgreens in Millbrae, California, just outside San Francisco, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
“Walgreens did not contact the Sheriff’s Office to report the crime, but a customer did call to claim being struck in the arm by one of the suspects,” San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Javier Acosta said in a statement.
Deputies responded to the complaint, he continued, however were unable to find the suspects. He stated that the victim, who had not been gravely harmed, had refused to file charges.
San Francisco has been coping with a rising crime and drug issue. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, shootings increased by 33% from 2020 to last year. According to the SFPD, property crime in general is up 10.4 percent in San Francisco over the previous year.
In recent years, retail theft has been on the increase across the United States. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), organized retail robberies would cost merchants $720,000 for every $1 billion in sales in 2020. This is an increase from around $450,000 five years ago. Furthermore, 69 percent of retailers polled by the NRF in 2021 reported a rise in organized retail burglaries in the previous year.
“Reasons cited for the rise have included the misuse of new opportunities for burglary during the COVID-19 pandemic, less prosecution of crimes wrongly perceived as ‘victimless,’ increased felony thresholds that allow thieves to rob more while facing only a misdemeanor charge if caught, and the growth of online marketplaces,” according to the NRF.
Chesa Boudin, the District Attorney of San Francisco, is now facing a recall election, which will be held on June 7. According to the Recall Chesa Boudin Committee, the DA has failed to implement criminal laws and hold offenders responsible.
“Under Boudin, who was elected in November of 2019, our city’s criminal justice system has instead been upended,” according to a statement on the group’s website. “Criminals are encouraged by a lack of responsibility; those criminals captured are simply allowed free, committing further crimes, many of which are fatal.”
