Minors in San Francisco, some as young as 12, caught allegedly stealing $84K in merchandise | Law Enforcement Today

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Authorities said that a group of kids, some as young as 12-years-old, have been arrested for allegedly committing a string of robberies totaling nearly $84 thousand in stolen merchandise.

According to Fox News, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) arrested eight juvenile retail suspects who they believe are responsible for 23 incidents at various Walgreens stores across the city. The group included an 18-year-old, one 12-year-old, three 14-year-olds, and three 15-year-olds. The teens have been robbing the stores since July.

Police identified the oldest suspect as 18-year-old Brandon McClain. He was arrested on suspicion of grand theft and retail theft as well as suspicion of a carjacking that happened in November with a 15-year-old. The 12-year-old, who has not been identified due to his age, has been charged with assault, robbery, burglary, grand theft, organized retail theft, and petty theft. 

The other suspects are 14 and 15, and have been charged with various count of theft. Authorities said that one incident included the violent assault of a store employee, leaving the victim with a "serious head injury." One of the robberies that took place on September 29th, when the juveniles allegedly ransacked a store and stole $15,000 in merchandise. A few hours later, the same group returned for another raid and stole $12,000 more in goods.

On August 18th, the suspects entered another Walgreens and stole over $6,500 in merchandise. During that robbery, police said that one of the suspects jumped over the front counter and stole a cash register. 

In another incident, police said that in July the group of masked suspects gathered outside a Walgreens location and were recognized by the employees as thieves. The suspects allegedly forced the door open on the employees and stole over $1,300 in merchandise. Police said they believe this group of juveniles have been involved in at least 23 organized retail crime thefts at various Walgreens locations in San Francisco, totaling over $84,000 in stolen merchandise.

A review of the incidents led the SFPD Burglary-Organized Retailed Crime Unit detectives to link the incidents together. Police deciphered similarities in the suspects' descriptions and modus operandi (M.O.). Police said that despite the arrests, the cases are open and active. Anyone with information is asked to contact SFPD at 1-415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD.

In a separate incident, a group of seven people were arrested for allegedly stealing more than $200,000 in Nike Jordan shoes during a California Highway Patrol operation in Anaheim. According to CBS News, the group was arrested while they allegedly transported the stolen merchandise in a U-Haul box truck.

The group stole the shoes from a train container near the remote Mojave Desert community of Amboy, California, and then drove the boxes filled with Jordans nearly 190 miles to Anaheim.

The CHP Border Division's Cargo Theft Interdiction Program tracked the suspect's U-Haul and a connected pickup truck and pulled them over at 11:25 a.m. on Friday, November 22nd. While searching the vehicles, officers found burlgar tools allegedly used to break into the train container as well as the Jordans. The seven suspects were booked into Orange County Jail on felony grand theft of cargo charges.