A group of masked San Francisco Walgreens shoplifting suspects, who brought a wagon with them to a raid on the store, also had a baby with them, according to San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott.
Police arrested six out of eight suspects during a retail theft “blitz operation” at the Geneva Avenue Walgreens on Oct. 11.
The group began filling bags and the wagon with merchandise before officers conducting an organized retail theft operation swooped in on them.
San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins charged five suspects on Oct. 13 with several theft-related charges, including attempted grand theft. Four of the suspects were released with ankle monitoring tags and one remains in custody.
Scott mentioned the baby during his report to the Police Commission late Wednesday.
“There was also a baby with this group of suspects, and that infant was released to the Alameda County Child Protective Services,” Scott said.
The Alameda County Department of Social Services declined to provide more information about the parents, citing confidentiality laws for cases involving children.
San Francisco police declined to provide further details about the case.
Organized retail thefts in San Francisco have been front of mind for the police department, which launched so-called “blitz operations” to combat the rampant crime in early October.
Five Walgreens stores closed in San Francisco in 2021 and two in Downtown shuttered in February 2022. Walgreens currently operates about 40 stores in San Francisco.